Nick Swisher went 2-for-4 with one of the
Yankees' three homers, which helped New York take an 8-5 win over the Phillies
in a pivotal Game 3 of the World Series.
The Yankees had scored just four runs in the first two games combined, having
been shut down by Cliff Lee in a Game 1 loss before scraping out a win against
Pedro Martinez in Game 2 thanks to a superb effort by A.J. Burnett.
However, New York took the win in Saturday's contest, which was delayed more
than an hour because of rain, thanks to its offense. In addition, the Yankees
took a key 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven matchup. Nine of the last 10 teams
to win Game 3 when the World Series was tied 1-1 went on to take the title.
Hideki Matsui had a pinch-homer, while Alex Rodriguez hit a two-run shot that
was only called a home run after video review. Johnny Damon hit a big two-run
double in the victory for New York, which is in search of its 27th World
Series title.
Andy Pettitte (1-0), who recorded an RBI single, gave up three early runs, but
pitched well enough to get the win, which extended his own record for career
playoff victories to 17. Over six innings, the left-hander gave up four runs
on five hits and three walks, with seven strikeouts.
"It was a battle tonight," Pettitte said. "I wasn't able to get ahead. I
wasn't able to get my breaking ball over. You know, fortunately enough, they
had some lefties in the lineup that I was able to cut some balls, get them
away from them in some big situations and able to get some outs when I needed
to get some."
His lefty counterpart, Cole Hamels (0-1) took the loss after lasting just 4
1/3 innings, in which he surrendered five runs on five hits and two walks. The
start continued a disappointing season and postseason for Hamels, who last
season captured MVP honors in the NLCS and World Series for the defending
champion Phillies.
But after going 10-11 with a 4.32 ERA in the regular season, Hamels posted a
6.75 ERA in three postseason starts entering Saturday's contest, which only
continued his woes. Hamels has not pitched six full innings in any of his
playoff starts in 2009.
"I think at times he gets a little upset with himself," Phillies manager
Charlie Manuel said of Hamels. "But as far as his mental toughness, this guy,
he's mentally tough. He's definitely mentally tough. I mean, he's just --
tonight for three innings there he was real good, and that's kind of been the
pattern he's pitched this year."
Jayson Werth hit a pair of homers for the Phillies, giving him seven in this
year's playoffs, while Carlos Ruiz added a solo shot.
The series continues Sunday back at Citizens Bank Park with Game 4, when the
Yankees will pitch Game 1 starter CC Sabathia on short rest. The Phillies
named Joe Blanton their Game 4 starter, opting not to pitch Lee on short rest.
Once the tarp came off the field after an 80-minute delay, the Phillies jumped
out to a three-run lead. But starting in the fourth, the Yankees scored in
five consecutive innings to assume the lead.
Mark Teixeira walked with one away, and Rodriguez followed with a blast
down the right-field line. It was ruled a double at first, but the umpires
reviewed it.
"In this particular play, the ball hit something hard, solid, and it was -- in
my judgment it was the top of the fence," right field umpire Jeff Nelson said.
"And then when [Yankees manager Joe Girardi] came out, Joe just said, 'We
think it hit a fan.' I said, 'It didn't hit a fan, it hit something solid. But
we'll talk about it.' We talked about it, and we decided to use the replay."
It was called a home run, as replays showed the ball appeared to hit off a
camera just above the wall. Gerry Davis, crew chief of the umpires, said a
specific ground rule is that when a ball hits a camera, it's a home run
because "we cannot control what the cameraman does with the camera."
That brought the Yankees within 3-2, and they grabbed the lead in the fifth,
which Swisher began with a double just over third base. Two batters
later, Pettitte blooped a single to center to bring in a run.
Derek Jeter followed with another bloop single to center, and Damon
delivered with a double to the gap in right-center, making it a 5-3 New York
lead. Hamels walked Teixeira, who was his final batter, while J.A. Happ came
in and got the Phillies out of the inning.
However, Swisher, who was 4-for-35 this postseason entering Saturday's
contest, drilled a one-out solo homer to left off Happ in the sixth, making it
a 6-3 game.
The Phillies got that run back in the home sixth, as Werth hit his second
leadoff homer of the game, a monster shot to left.
But as was the case in the late innings, the Phillies couldn't put together a
rally and their pitching allowed the Yankees to expand the lead.
Chad Durbin took the mound for Philadelphia in the seventh and walked Damon
with one out. Damon stole second during the next at-bat, a Teixeira strikeout,
and Durbin hit Rodriguez to put two runners on. Jorge Posada followed by
slicing a single to left to bring in Damon for a 7-4 lead.
Joba Chamberlain then worked a quick bottom of the seventh, throwing only nine
pitches, and New York added another run in the eighth on Matsui's two-out
pinch-homer off Brett Myers.
Damaso Marte pitched a perfect eighth, and after Ruiz smacked a solo homer off
Phil Hughes in the ninth, Mariano Rivera came in to get the final two outs and
seal the victory.
The Phillies established a lead in the second, which Werth began with a homer
on a low-and-outside pitch. Two batters later, Pedro Feliz doubled to right-
center, and Pettitte walked Ruiz.
The Phillies got a big break in the next at-bat, as Hamels reached on a bunt
attempt, leaving the bases loaded with one away. Pettitte walked Jimmy Rollins
to force in a run, and Shane Victorino followed with a sacrifice fly for
a 3-0 Phillies lead before Pettitte got Chase Utley looking at strike
three to end the threat.
Game Notes
Utley and Ryan Howard, the Phillies' 3-4 hitters, combined to go 0-for-8 with
five strikeouts...Rodriguez's homer was his sixth this postseason. It was also
his first hit of the World Series, as he was 0-for-8 with six strikeouts in
the first two games...Werth was the only Phillies player to have multiple
hits, while Swisher was the only Yankee with more than one.
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