CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The home opener is always worth the wait, and wait Cleveland did on Friday afternoon at Progressive Field.

The wait lasted 2 hours and 13 minutes. It included sunshine followed by high winds, sideways rain and dropping temperatures. Then came victory.

Trailing 2-0 without a hit through four innings, Yan Gomes and Nick Swisher homered in the sixth to lead the Indians to a 7-2 win over the Twins in front of a sellout crowd of 41,275, about half of whom were still in their seats when Blake Wood recorded the final out of the game.

"We have a great crowd," said manager Terry Francona. "People braved the weather. I think when you're losing, it feels cold. And when you're up you feel balmy. A lot of people weathered it. Even to the end, some people stayed. That was pretty neat."

Mike Pelfrey (1-0, 5.06) retired 12 straight before Carlos Santana broke the spell with a leadoff double in the fifth. Pelfrey was working with a 2-0 lead thanks to a sacrifice fly by Josh Willingham and a homer by Chris Colabello in the first off Danny Salazar.

Pelfrey worked his way through the fifth with no problem after Santana’s double, but Gomes and Swisher were waiting in the sixth.

Gomes, with a 22 mph wind whipping toward right, started the inning with a line-drive homer to center field. No.9 hitter Lonnie Chisenhall walked and Nyjer Morgan moved him to second with a sacrifice bunt.

"Pelfrey pitched a great game," said Swisher. "I don't think he threw his first breaking ball until the fifth inning. He was really working ahead of guys, but in the sixth inning, we were able to get to him.

"Yan Gomes hit the leadoff homer and Lonnie Chisenhall walked, but I think the turning point of the game came when T. Plush (Morgan's alter ego) bunts Chisenahll over to second base. It gave me a lot more confidence knowing that it's 15 degrees outside, but all I got to do is try to hit something to the outfield."

Said Morgan, "My job is to set the big boys up."

Swisher likes to call his younger teammates “Thundercats’ because of their potential, but he's the one who who found some thunder with a long two-run homer to right for a 3-2 lead. Swisher hit a 0-1 pitch and watched it ride the jetstream out of the ballpark. About a third of the way down the first-base line he flicked his bat for all the Twins to see.

When he crossed home plate and headed back to the dugout, he led the crowd in an O-H-I-0 chant.

Pelfrey walked the next two batters and was done for the night. In his first start of the season, Pelfrey allowed three runs on three hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out three and walked three.

Once they took the lead, the Indians found another gear. They stretched the margin to 7-2 with four more runs in the seventh. Swisher was involved in that inning as well.

Gomes, who had three hits, and Chisenhall started the rally. With one out, Gomes singled and went to third on Chisenhall’s double to the gap in right center. Morgan singled to make it 4-2.

Lefty Caleb Thielbar relieved Casey Fien to make Swisher hit right-handed, Swisher sent a double to center to score Chisenhall as Morgan stopped at third. After Kipnis struck out and Santana was intentionally walked, Michael Brantley hit a two-run single through the middle for a 7-2 lead.

Brantley, who has five RBI in four games, said Gomes' homer in the sixth, showed the Indians the way.

"To hit a ball like that to dead center here is impressive," said Brantley. "It was a great swing and got the whole dugout fired up. It really was a jump start for the night."

Salazar righted himself after a rocky first. The Twins reached him for four hits and three walks in the next 4 2/3 innings, but he did not allow another run.

In 5 2/3 innings, Salazar allowed two runs on seven hits. He walked three and threw 95 pitches. Salazar was not efficient, throwing only 58 percent (55-for-95) of his pitches for strikes.

Salazar did make quality pitches when needed. With the bases loaded in the fifth, he retired Colabello on a liner to second and Trevor Plouffe on a ground ball.

"Danny has plenty of stuff," said Francona. "I thought, like Zach McAllister and Corey Kluber, he battled his fastball command. He wasn't throwing his breaking ball really where he wanted to, so they're sitting on one pitch."

Josh Outman (1-0) relieved Salazar in the sixth and pitched two-thirds of an inning for the win.