PHILADELPHIA – The Yankees offense has not been the same Murderers Row that has been in the regular season, but trailing by three runs after three innings, they had no other choice but to hit.
Otherwise, the Phillies were going to knock them out.
As they have all season, the Yankees picked themselves off the mat and struck back with a vengeance, pulling out an 8-5 victory in Game 3 of the World Series in front of 46,061 at Citizens Bank Park.
It was a game that saw them struggling early, finding their grove in the middle and tacking on runs later as they were able to eliminate Cole Hamels and several members of the Phillies bullpen.
Early on, it did not look promising for the Bombers as the Phillies scored three runs off Yankees starter Andy Pettitte. Jayson Werth led off the bottom of the second with a sold homerun to left. After a double to Pedro Feliz, and a walk to Carlos Ruiz, Hamels laid down a bunt in front of the plate that was fielded by neither Pettitte nor Jorge Posada to load the bases.
Jimmy Rollins drew a bases loaded walk and Shane Victorino hit a sacrifice fly to give the Phillies a 3-0 advantage as Pettitte struggled with him control in the inning, needing 31 pitches and throw a first pitch ball to six of the eight hitters.
Hamels held the Yankees hitless through the first three innings, but that would end in the fourth. Mark Teixeira drew a one out walk and Alex Rodriguez drove a pitch initially looked to be off the top of the wall in right for what was ruled a double.
However, the umpires convened to discuss the play and elected to use instant replay to review the call. Camera angles showed that the ball hit the camera located hanging slightly over the wall in right. The call was overturned and the umpires ruled in favor of a homerun that the deficit to 3-2.
The Yankees would take the lead in the fifth and eventually chase Hamels from the game. Nick Swisher got his first hit of the series by doubling down the left field line, and after Melky Cabrera struck out, Hamels hung a curveball that Pettitte was able to flare into center for an run-scoring single to tie the game. After Jeter singled to center on a ball not scooped by Victorino, Johnny Damon drilled a two-run double into the gap in right center to give the Yankees a 5-3 lead.
Out came Manager Charlie Manuel from the dugout and Hamels’ night was over. His postseason struggles continued again, this time going only 4 1/3 innings, giving up five runs and five hits, walking two and striking out three.
Pettitte, who had struggled in the first two innings, began to settle in. He clearly did not the same stuff as he had in the pennant clinching Game 6 against the Angels, but using intelligence and guile was battling his way through it.
In the sixth, each team traded runs. Swisher crushed a 2-2 fastball from J.A Happ into the left field seats for homerun to make it 6-3. The Phillies got the run back when Werth hit his second homerun of the night. It was the first hit off Pettitte since the second inning.
The final out of the inning came when pinch-hitter Eric Bruntlett flied out to right, it was the end of Pettitte’s night, going six innings, giving up four runs on five hits, walking three and striking out seven.
Tack on runs would continue in the seventh and the eighth as Posada singled to left to bring home Damon to increase the lead to three. In the eighth, pinch hitter Hideki Matsui redirected a Brett Myers fastball to left field for a homerun for an 8-4 margin.
Joba Chamberlain and Damaso Marte pitched scoreless innings and both the seventh and eighth innings. Phil Hughes gave up a one out homerun to Carlos Ruiz and Manager Joe Girardi elected not to take any chances, coming to the mound and bringing in Mariano Rivera, despite throwing 39 pitches in Game 2 on Thursday.
Rivera needed only five pitches to record the final two outs, the last one when Rollins popped out to Rodriguez to end the game.
With a 2-1 lead, the Yankees are two wins away from a championship. They will look to take a 3-1 advantage with CC Sabathia on three days going up against Joe Blanton for Philadelphia.
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