CLEVELAND — Two outs from disaster, two big swings saved the Yankees from getting broomed out of town.

Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi homered off Bob Wickman in the ninth inning, and the Yankees avoided being swept in Cleveland for the first time

since 1970 with a 4–3 win over the Indians last night.

The clutch homers prevented the Yan

kees from slipping farther back in the AL East and wild card standings. Even the thought of a loss was too much for manager Joe Torre and his team to bear.

“It would have been crushing,” Rodriguez said. “I know Joe wanted this game very badly.”

The comeback also might have staved off a tongue-lashing from owner George Steinbrenner, who is running out of patience with his high-priced but so far underachieving collection of All-Star millionaires.

“I’m concerned that they’ve got to get their bats going. They’ve got to get it together and get playing,” Steinbrenner said in Tampa, Fla., after watching right-hander Jaret Wright in a minor league rehabilitation start.The Yankees were encouraged because Wright gave up two hits in six shutout innings in his rehab start. Wright, sidelined since late April with a shoulder injury, struck out eight, walked none and hit two batters in the Florida State League

game against the Vero Beach Dodgers. His fastball reached 94 mph during his 68-pitch outing.

The Yankees were also encouraged by the continued resurgence of Giambi, who homered early in the game along with backup catcher John Flaherty. But the Yankees waited until the ninth inning before rallying to beat the

Indians, who were two outs from their first home sweep against the Yankees since Richard Nixon was president.

“Nobody is hanging their head,” Indians outfielder Casey Blake said.”You like to win every game, expect to win every game, but taking two of three against a great team is a good thing.”

It could have been great,but the Yankees, who have been making dramatic comebacks an almost nightly occurrence lately, pulled out another one.

“It’s not the best way to go,” said Giambi, who has hit 16 of his 21 homers since July 1. “I guess we’re giving fans their money’s worth. It would be nice to have a couple laughers.”

On the most torrid streak of his career, Giambi also homered in the fifth for New York, which stayed 4 1/2 games behind division-leading Boston and within three games of Oakland, the wild card leader.

Rodriguez, who struck out in his first two at-bats against Kevin Millwood and grounded into an inning-ending double play, tied it 3–3 with his 30th homer — a long shot into the left field bleachers off Wickman (0–3).

Rodriguez somehow got his bat low enough to lift Wickman’s pitch and tie Boston’s Manny Ramirez for the league lead in homers.