Yanks recapture momentum and have hammer
PHILADELPHIA - It was the final out of the third inning. Phillies starter Cole Hamels had retired the Yankees 9 up and nine down through the first three frames and Andy Pettitte did not appear as if he was going to be long for this game in this park.
The crowd and the pendulum of this series were clearly in the Phillies favor and there did not appear to be anything the Yankees could do about it.
Then in the fourth inning, Mark Teixeira drew a leadoff walk, an alarming sign when you are working with a comfortable margin. Alex Rodriguez stepped to the plate, hitless in the series in nine at bats and striking out six of those times. However, here he was up with a chance to inch the Yankees closer in this game.
He got a good swing on Hamels' fastball and drove it to right. Right fielder Jayson Werth was on the run, but could not get to it as the ball initially looked as if it hit off the top of the wall. Runners were going to be at second and third with no one out. Yet, Rodriguez was signaling to the umpire that the ball hit what was to be the camera located just atop the fence in the right field corner.
The umpires convened and then went into the instant replay booth to check. When they came out, they signaled what everyone watching replays at home saw, that it was indeed a home run.
It was now Phillies 3, Yankees 2, but now it was Philadelphia playing on borrowed time, mostly Hamels.
With each at bat thereafter, the Yankees were getting good swings and Hamels' pitches were not finding the plate. He got out of the fourth inning without giving up any more runs, but his clock was ticking towards midnight.
That came the next inning when Nick Swisher got his first hit of the series by hitting a double into the left field corner down the line. Jerry Hairston Jr. replaced Swisher in Game 2, but now welcomed himself to the series.
Andy Pettitte came up. Not much of a hitter obviously, and someone you figured would be an automatic out if he was thrown three fastballs. Instead, Hamels throws him a curveball that hangs in the strike zone and Pettitte puts bat on ball and loops a shallow fly into centerfield for a base hit to tie the game.
Derek Jeter's fly ball landed in front of Shane Victorino for another hit, and then Johnny Damon ripped a double into the gap in right center to score both runs.
Yankees 5, Phillies 3.
Momentum is a funny thing. You can have it in one moment and it can be taken away from you instantly. Hamels and the Phillies had and in a blink, saw it taken right from them.
It was obvious that Hamels did not want anymore of this game. He had mentally checked out for the night. Using the word "quit" is a harsh word to use to describe an athlete's performance, but what else can you say?
The Yankees did not care. They had the game in control.
In the sixth, Nick Swisher continued his revival by crushing J.A Happ’s fastball into the left field seats to extend the lead to three. Now the Yankees had silenced the crowd in Philadelphia known for their crude and obnoxious behavior.
Pettitte was rebounding from a shaky start to his outing and was eating every lefty Phillies hitter in the lineup for lunch. Only Werth was able to get good swings on him, hitting a home run in the second and again in the sixth. Pettitte may not have pitched his best game of the postseason, but he was more than effective. He limited the damage and left with a 6-4 lead.
The Yankees had effectively gotten into the underbelly of the Phillies bullpen when they got Hamels out in the fifth inning. They had tacked on a run in the sixth and there was no stopping them now against anyone else coming to the mound. Jorge Posada would single home a run and Hideki Matsui would redirect a pitch to the opposite field for a pinch-hit home run to extend the margin to four and lock up a victory and two games to one World Series lead.
While momentum may be the next days starting pitcher, the Yankees have the Phillies on the run. With Joe Blanton taking the ball against CC Sabathia in Game 4, the clear advantage goes to New York.
In these series, the pendulum can change quickly. The Phillies had it after Game 1. The Yankees have it now.
PHILADELPHIA - It was the final out of the third inning. Phillies starter Cole Hamels had retired the Yankees 9 up and nine down through the first three frames and Andy Pettitte did not appear as if he was going to be long for this game in this park.
The crowd and the pendulum of this series were clearly in the Phillies favor and there did not appear to be anything the Yankees could do about it.
Then in the fourth inning, Mark Teixeira drew a leadoff walk, an alarming sign when you are working with a comfortable margin. Alex Rodriguez stepped to the plate, hitless in the series in nine at bats and striking out six of those times. However, here he was up with a chance to inch the Yankees closer in this game.
He got a good swing on Hamels' fastball and drove it to right. Right fielder Jayson Werth was on the run, but could not get to it as the ball initially looked as if it hit off the top of the wall. Runners were going to be at second and third with no one out. Yet, Rodriguez was signaling to the umpire that the ball hit what was to be the camera located just atop the fence in the right field corner.
The umpires convened and then went into the instant replay booth to check. When they came out, they signaled what everyone watching replays at home saw, that it was indeed a home run.
It was now Phillies 3, Yankees 2, but now it was Philadelphia playing on borrowed time, mostly Hamels.
With each at bat thereafter, the Yankees were getting good swings and Hamels' pitches were not finding the plate. He got out of the fourth inning without giving up any more runs, but his clock was ticking towards midnight.
That came the next inning when Nick Swisher got his first hit of the series by hitting a double into the left field corner down the line. Jerry Hairston Jr. replaced Swisher in Game 2, but now welcomed himself to the series.
Andy Pettitte came up. Not much of a hitter obviously, and someone you figured would be an automatic out if he was thrown three fastballs. Instead, Hamels throws him a curveball that hangs in the strike zone and Pettitte puts bat on ball and loops a shallow fly into centerfield for a base hit to tie the game.
Derek Jeter's fly ball landed in front of Shane Victorino for another hit, and then Johnny Damon ripped a double into the gap in right center to score both runs.
Yankees 5, Phillies 3.
Momentum is a funny thing. You can have it in one moment and it can be taken away from you instantly. Hamels and the Phillies had and in a blink, saw it taken right from them.
It was obvious that Hamels did not want anymore of this game. He had mentally checked out for the night. Using the word "quit" is a harsh word to use to describe an athlete's performance, but what else can you say?
The Yankees did not care. They had the game in control.
In the sixth, Nick Swisher continued his revival by crushing J.A Happ’s fastball into the left field seats to extend the lead to three. Now the Yankees had silenced the crowd in Philadelphia known for their crude and obnoxious behavior.
Pettitte was rebounding from a shaky start to his outing and was eating every lefty Phillies hitter in the lineup for lunch. Only Werth was able to get good swings on him, hitting a home run in the second and again in the sixth. Pettitte may not have pitched his best game of the postseason, but he was more than effective. He limited the damage and left with a 6-4 lead.
The Yankees had effectively gotten into the underbelly of the Phillies bullpen when they got Hamels out in the fifth inning. They had tacked on a run in the sixth and there was no stopping them now against anyone else coming to the mound. Jorge Posada would single home a run and Hideki Matsui would redirect a pitch to the opposite field for a pinch-hit home run to extend the margin to four and lock up a victory and two games to one World Series lead.
While momentum may be the next days starting pitcher, the Yankees have the Phillies on the run. With Joe Blanton taking the ball against CC Sabathia in Game 4, the clear advantage goes to New York.
In these series, the pendulum can change quickly. The Phillies had it after Game 1. The Yankees have it now.
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