The New York Yankees target their 27th World Series
title this evening, when they play Game 5 against the Philadelphia Phillies at
Citizens Bank Park.
However, if the Yankees are going to win their first crown since 2000, they
will have to do so against Phillies left-hander Cliff Lee, who delivered a
brilliant performance in Game 1 of this series and has pitched to an amazing
0.54 earned run average in four postseason starts this year.
Acquired at the trade deadline from Cleveland, Lee has been magnificent for
the Phillies in these playoffs. Last Wednesday, Lee went the distance and
allowed six hits and an unearned run to beat the Yanks. He also struck out 10
without a walk for the second straight start.
Not starting Lee on short rest, though, may be the decision that comes back to
haunt the Phillies, as the Yankees took a commanding 3-1 lead in this best-of-
seven set with a thrilling win on Sunday.
After Philadelphia tied the game in the eighth inning on a Pedro Feliz home
run, Alex Rodriguez delivered the go-ahead run-scoring double with two outs in
the ninth inning as New York put the Phillies on the brink of elimination with
a 7-4 victory.
Jorge Posada drove in three runs, including a two-run single to cap the top of
the ninth.
Mariano Rivera set the side down in order in the bottom of the ninth for the
save and broke the World Series record with his 23rd appearance, passing ex-
Yankee Whitey Ford. It was his 39th career postseason save, and the latest one
provided a near-knockout blow for the defending World Series champions.
"It feels good, but again, we've been down this road before, and we have to
stay very focused," said Rodriguez. "Those guys are the world champs. They're
going to come out fighting, and so are we, so just staying in the moment."
Brad Lidge (0-1) retired the first two batters of the inning on a pop-up from
pinch-hitter Hideki Matsui and a strikeout from Derek Jeter. On a nine-pitch
at-bat, Johnny Damon then singled to left-center field.
The Phillies then put an infield shift toward the right side of the diamond
with Mark Teixeira at the plate, but the move backfired. Damon stole second
with third baseman Feliz taking the throw from catcher Carlos Ruiz. Nobody
covered third, and Damon raced all the way to the base.
"I felt like being on third base, it possibly takes away a slider, a tough
slider in the dirt that I may be able to score on," said Damon. "Alex got two
fastballs. It did work out for us."
Teixeira was hit by a pitch before Rodriguez, a three-time AL MVP going after
his first World Series ring, clubbed an 0-1 offering to left field to give New
York a 5-4 edge. Posada lined a single left-center for the three-run cushion
and was thrown out trying to go to second.
"I have never had a bigger hit," said Rodriguez. "But again, if you look at
what Mark Teixeira and I have done in this World Series is not much, and it
just tells you what a great balanced team we've had all year, and we're
getting contributions from all our guys."
Rodriguez has 15 RBI this postseason, tying Bernie Williams (1996) and Scott
Brosius (1998) for the most RBI by a Yankee in a single playoff year. Of those
15 RBI, seven have been game-tying or of the go-ahead variety.
"It is important to stay calm," said Rodriguez. "For me making an adjustment
after Game 1 and 2 was very easy because what I was doing was just being a
little overanxious. One thing about postseason, if you want to hit, you've got
to swing at strikes, and if you don't swing at strikes, you're going to expose
your weakness. That's all I've been trying to do."
CC Sabathia, going on three days' rest, pitched into the seventh inning for
New York, but was lifted after Chase Utley homered off the southpaw for the
third time in this series. The blast pulled the Phillies within 4-3.
Phillies starter Joe Blanton was taken out after six innings for a pinch-
hitter. The righty gave up five hits and four runs, walked two and fanned
seven.
The Phillies, aiming to become the first National League repeat winner since
Cincinnati in 1975-76, have a big task to overcome. This is the ninth time
that the Yankees have held a 3-1 lead in a World Series. They have gone on to
win the world championship on each of the previous eight occasions. Also, the
last team to overcome such a deficit to win the title was Kansas City in 1985.
Tonight the Yankees turn to righty A.J. Burnett, who will be going on short
rest following a terrific effort in Game 2 of this series.
Burnett held the Phillies to a run and four hits in seven innings. He also
fanned nine and walked a pair in picking up his first-ever postseason win.
"I've waited a long time for it, and I'm going to take it full stride," said
Burnett. "I'm going to go out there with everything I've got, and you take
nothing for granted. I've seen some crazy things this postseason, and I guess
that's why they call it post-season baseball, because anything can happen."
Burnett has made four starts on short rest in his career and is 4-0 with a
2.33 ERA in those outings.
"Obviously, you do everything you can to help this team win," Burnett said.
"If that means me taking the ball on short rest, then I'm taking the ball on
short rest."
After being named the NLCS MVP, Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard has yet to
find his groove in this series, going just 3-for-17 with 10 strikeouts. He is
in a position to top the World Series record that Royals outfielder Willie
Wilson set in 1980, when he struck out 12 times against the Phillies in 1980.
These teams have a limited history against one another, but did square off
once in the World Series back in 1950, when the Yankees swept the series in
four games from the Whiz Kids of Philadelphia.
The Phillies also took two of three from the Yanks earlier this season at
Yankee Stadium. Philadelphia won the opener before New York rallied off of
Lidge in the second contest. The Yankees got to Lidge again in the finale, but
Philly managed to pick up an extra-inning win in that one to capture the
series.
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