NEW YORK (AP) — CC Sabathia pitched like a champion, and the New York Yankees are heading for Texas. A whole lot better than heading home.

Nick Swisher and Robinson Cano hit consecutive homers to build an early cushion, Sabathia made the lead stand up and the Yankees avoided elimination, beating the Rangers 7-2 Wednesday and closing within 3-2 in the AL championship series.

"We're right where we need to be," Swisher said.

A late-arriving crowd for the late-afternoon game wondered whether this would be it for the defending World Series champs after Texas outscored them 25-5 while winning three in a row.

But Sabathia bounced back from an erratic opener, staying away from too much trouble against Josh Hamilton and Texas' big bats. Rangers slugger Nelson Cruz made an early exit with hamstring trouble, a day after Yankees star Mark Teixeira was lost for the postseason with a hamstring injury. Curtis Granderson added an eighth-inning homer for New York, his second RBI of the game.

"There was a determination," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "We have not played extremely well in this series, to say the least."

Now the teams will go deep in the heart of Texas to decide the pennant in the best-of-seven series.

When they resume Friday night in Arlington for Game 6, Phil Hughes starts for the Yankees against Colby Lewis in a rematch of Game 2, won by the Rangers 7-2.

"It's not disappointing," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "It's a seven-game series."

In the 50th anniversary of a franchise that has never reached the World Series, Texas remains one win away. To get past the Rangers, the Yankees will eventually have to solve postseason star Cliff Lee, who would start a Game 7 against Andy Pettitte.

"Crazier things have happened," Swisher said.