Final
Yankees-Phillies Preview
Nov 2, 2009 - 7:30 AM By KATE HEDLIN STATS WriterNew York (103-59) at Philadelphia (93-69), 7:57 p.m. EDT
One year after failing to make the playoffs, the New York Yankees are on the verge of being crowned World Series champions.
The Yankees look to win their record 27th title and first in nine years Monday, while the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies try to force a return to the Bronx as they turn to a rested Cliff Lee for a must-win Game 5.
After 13 consecutive seasons of reaching the playoffs, New York fell short in 2008, with a third-place finish in the AL East. Determined to get back to the postseason, the Yankees spent $423.5 million in the offseason, adding CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira. The additions paid off as New York won a league-best 103 games and its first division title since 2006.
Now, behind solid pitching and timely hitting, the Yankees are one win away from their first World Series title since 2000, following a 7-4 victory over the Phillies in Game 4 on Sunday.
Sabathia, pitching on short rest, left in the sixth inning with a one-run lead. After Joba Chamberlain allowed a game-tying home run to Pedro Feliz in the eighth, Alex Rodriguez put New York back ahead in the ninth with an RBI double off Phillies closer Brad Lidge. Jorge Posada followed with a two-run single to add insurance.
Rodriguez, a popular target for Yankees fans' frustrations because of his past postseason failures, was 0 for 8 with six strikeouts in Games 1 and 2, but hit a big home run in Game 3 and has driven in 15 runs in the 2009 postseason, tying a Yankees record shared by Bernie Williams and Scott Brosius.
"He's the reason why we're sitting here and we're in Philadelphia right now," said Johnny Damon, who went 3 for 5 and scored on Rodriguez's go-ahead hit after a advancing to third on a double steal. "I felt like without him, who knows where our road may have stopped at."
Rodriguez and the Yankees will look to close out the series Monday night against the Phillies, who hope to rally and become the first NL team to repeat as champions since Cincinnati in 1975-76. If Philadelphia succeeds Monday in extending the series, it will return to the Bronx for Game 6 on Wednesday.
"We've been down this road before and we have to stay very focused. Those guys are the world champs," Rodriguez said.
New York has good reason to feel confident. This is the ninth time the Yankees have led the World Series 3-1, and on all eight other occasions, they've gone on to win the title. Of the 42 teams overall to take a 3-1 lead, 36 went on to win the crown.
Philadelphia is trying to become the first club since the 1985 Kansas City Royals to overcome that deficit.
"I think we take a lot of pride on being resilient and the way we bounce back," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "I've seen us go through it before. We've blown 22 games from the seventh inning on or something this year. That's got to tell you something about the resilience of our team."
Lidge, who blew 11 saves and went 0-8 with a 7.21 ERA in the regular season, hadn't allowed a run in five appearances this postseason prior to Sunday.
"We've got to get back to New York and keep going," he said. "Hopefully I get another chance to get out there and get a win or a save for our team."
If the Phillies lose this series, they may look back on their decision to keep Lee on regular rest as a mistake.
Manuel talked to Lee about pitching on short rest Sunday, but he said the two decided to keep him on his regular schedule. Lee, who has never pitched on shortened rest, said it was Manuel's choice to go with Joe Blanton, who gave up four runs in six innings.
"I just let him know I'd pitch whenever he wants me to pitch," Lee told the Phillies' official Web site. "I think I could do it, but he makes the calls."
The left-hander is 3-0 with a 0.54 ERA in the postseason. He defeated Sabathia in Game 1, giving up one unearned run and six hits in a complete game victory. He struck out 10 in the dominant performance, but Manuel was undeterred in his decision even after the Phillies went down 2-1 in the series Saturday.
"You're asking Cliff Lee to do something that he has never done before," he said. "But we're also asking him to do it in a very big, important place, and that's in the World Series. I didn't have to think very long at all about that."
The only Yankee batter to have any success against Lee last week was Derek Jeter, who had three hits including a double. Jeter is 7 for 17 in the World Series.
After getting success from Sabathia on three days' rest, the Yankees hope for the same from Burnett.
Burnett started Thursday's Game 2, allowing one run and four hits in seven innings of a 3-1 win. It was his first decision in the postseason, although New York has won three of his four playoff starts while he's posted a 3.55 ERA.
The right-hander is 4-0 with a 2.33 ERA in four career starts on short rest, though he hasn't tried it this season.
"To be honest, it's a little different, obviously, in October," he said. "But I feel good right now. Otherwise, I wouldn't take the ball."
Burnett will try to keep Chase Utley in the park after the Philadelphia second baseman homered for the third time in this series Sunday.
- Phillies 8, Yankees 6 - FINAL
NY YANKEES ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
D Jeter ss 5 0 1 0 0 0 1 .364
J Damon lf 4 2 3 1 1 0 0 .381
M Teixeira 1b 5 1 1 0 0 1 4 .105
A Rodriguez 3b 4 1 2 3 0 0 1 .222
N Swisher rf 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 .167
R Cano 2b 3 0 1 1 0 0 2 .167
B Gard
Nov 2 11:27 PM - ML
AT PHILADELPHIA WORLD SERIES - SCORING UPDATE
GROUND DP BY DEREK JETER SCORED JORGE POSADA
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, NONE ON, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: NY YANKEES 6
PHILADELPHIA 8 TOP,9TH
DUE UP FOR NY YANKEES: J DAMON (.350, 2-FOR-3, BB, RBI)
Yankees 6, Phillies 8 Top 9, 0 OutsNov 2 11:21 PM - ML
AT PHILADELPHIA WORLD SERIES - SCORING UPDATE
SACRIFICE FLY BY ROBINSON CANO SCORED ALEX RODRIGUEZ
SITUATION: 3 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: NY YANKEES 5
PHILADELPHIA 8 TOP,8TH
DUE UP FOR NY YANKEES: B GARDNER (.000, 0-FOR-3)
Yankees 5, Phillies 8 Top 8, 0 OutsNov 2 10:59 PM - ML
AT PHILADELPHIA WORLD SERIES - SCORING UPDATE
DOUBLE BY ALEX RODRIGUEZ SCORED MARK TEIXEIRA AND JOHNNY
DAMON
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, A RODRIGUEZ ON SECOND, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: NY YANKEES 4
PHILADELPHIA 8 TOP,8TH
DUE UP FOR NY YANKEES: N SWISHER (.182, 0-FOR-2, BB)
Yankees 4, Phillies 8 Top 8, 0 OutsNov 2 10:51 PM - ML
AT PHILADELPHIA WORLD SERIES - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY RAUL IBANEZ (1) TO RIGHT CENTER WITH 2 OUT
IN THE 7TH OFF PHIL COKE.
CURRENT SCORE: NY YANKEES 2, PHILADELPHIA 8
DUE UP FOR PHILADELPHIA: P FELIZ (.222, 0-FOR-3)
Yankees 2, Phillies 8 Bot 7, 0 OutsNov 2 10:39 PM - ML
AT PHILADELPHIA WORLD SERIES - SCORING UPDATE
SOLO HOME RUN BY CHASE UTLEY (5) TO RIGHT CENTER WITH 0 OUT
IN THE 7TH OFF PHIL COKE.
CURRENT SCORE: NY YANKEES 2, PHILADELPHIA 7
DUE UP FOR PHILADELPHIA: R HOWARD (.167, 0-FOR-1, 2 BB)
Yankees 2, Phillies 7 Bot 7, 0 OutsNov 2 10:33 PM - ML
AT PHILADELPHIA WORLD SERIES - SCORING UPDATE
GROUND OUT BY JOHNNY DAMON SCORED ERIC HINSKE
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, D JETER ON SECOND, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: NY YANKEES 2
PHILADELPHIA 6 TOP,5TH
DUE UP FOR NY YANKEES: M TEIXEIRA (.062, 0-FOR-2)
Yankees 2, Phillies 6 Top 5, 0 OutsNov 2 9:47 PM - ML
AT PHILADELPHIA WORLD SERIES - SCORING UPDATE
FORCE OUT BY CARLOS RUIZ SCORED JAYSON WERTH
SITUATION: 3 RUNS IN, C RUIZ ON FIRST, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: NY YANKEES 1
PHILADELPHIA 6 BOTTOM,3RD
DUE UP FOR PHILADELPHIA: C LEE (.000, 0-FOR-1)
Yankees 1, Phillies 6 Bot 3, 0 OutsNov 2 9:16 PM - ML
AT PHILADELPHIA WORLD SERIES - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY RAUL IBANEZ SCORED RYAN HOWARD
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, R IBANEZ ON FIRST, J WERTH ON THIRD, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: NY YANKEES 1
PHILADELPHIA 5 BOTTOM,3RD
DUE UP FOR PHILADELPHIA: P FELIZ (.250, 0-FOR-1)
Yankees 1, Phillies 5 Bot 3, 0 OutsNov 2 9:10 PM - ML
AT PHILADELPHIA WORLD SERIES - SCORING UPDATE
SINGLE BY JAYSON WERTH SCORED CHASE UTLEY
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, J WERTH ON FIRST, R HOWARD ON SECOND, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: NY YANKEES 1
PHILADELPHIA 4 BOTTOM,3RD
DUE UP FOR PHILADELPHIA: R IBANEZ (.176, 0-FOR-1)
Yankees 1, Phillies 4 Bot 3, 0 OutsNov 2 9:08 PM - ML
AT PHILADELPHIA WORLD SERIES - SCORING UPDATE
THREE-RUN HOME RUN BY CHASE UTLEY (4) TO RIGHT CENTER WITH 0
OUT IN THE 1ST OFF A.J. BURNETT SCORED SHANE VICTORINO AND
JIMMY ROLLINS.
CURRENT SCORE: NY YANKEES 1, PHILADELPHIA 3
DUE UP FOR PHILADELPHIA: R HOWARD (.176, 0 HR, 1 RBI)
Yankees 1, Phillies 3 Bot 1, 0 OutsNov 2 8:17 PM - ML
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
NY YANKEES 1 1 2 0
PHILADELPHIA 0 0 0 (BOT 1)
CURRENT PITCHERS: NYY - A.J. BURNETT
PHI - CLIFF LEE
DUE UP FOR PHILADELPHIA: J ROLLINS (.200, 0 HR, 1 RBI)
S VICTORINO (.200, 0 HR, 2 RBI)
C UTLEY (.267, 3 HR, 4 RBI)
Yankees 1, Phillies 0 Bot 1, 0 OutsNov 2 8:09 PM
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