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After loss, Giants season slowly falling apart
DENVER – Like the rest of us, each Giants player's eyes were glued to the television set during the early portion of the day.
They saw as the Packers calmly dismissed the Lions in Detroit and as they prepared to take on the Broncos later in this night, they witnessed the Cowboys making short work of the hapless Raiders at home.
Things were clear for the Giants now with both the playoff contenders winning.
Win or fall behind further.
Armed with this information, they promptly went out and played their worst game of the season.
Sure, there were losses to New Orleans and Philadelphia, but those teams were better than the team taking the field against the Giants on Thursday night. This Broncos team was losers of their last four games after a 6-0 start.
As the Giants left INVESCO Field after the Broncos drubbed them 26-6 to drop them to 6-5, if you drew the conclusion that the team was disillusioned, played as if they were disinterested, simply unprepared, or all of the above, you wouldn’t be too far from the truth.
For the fifth time in their last six games, they were losers on the field. Considering that they were a coin toss loss away last week from having lost to Atlanta the week before, several things has become evident.
One, the Giants padded their early season wins against bad competition, masking their deficiencies.
After close inspection, Washington, Tampa Bay, Kansas City and Oakland are legitimately four of the eight worst teams in the league. Combined, they total 10 wins and 31 losses. Almost everyone else in the league has beaten up on the team. It was just by coincidence the Giants had them lined up back-to-back-to-back early in the season thus inflating their record much like a college team.
Two, the Giants are not as good as we all think.
You can only use the excuse “We are better than this” for so long before it is not true anymore. Since the first loss in New Orleans, to a man this is what each Giants players has said over the last six weeks. The results however, do not bare this out.
As each game has played out, it has become obvious that the team can no longer bully opponents with their power running game. For whatever reason, the offensive line has not been able to open up the same holes this year as they have in the previous two or three seasons. This unit statistically is the most cohesive in the league, yet without getting old, they have played as if they are in decline.
Perhaps it is not Brandon Jacobs’ fault that his season has not been good. The same unit that created holes for running backs and gave Eli Manning plenty of time to throw the ball has collapsed without reason.
Without being able to run the ball, the game has been on Manning’s to win and without having much time to throw the ball, you can expect him to find many players open.
The clearest illustration came in the second quarter when Manning got pressure up the middle and sacked at his own 11-yard line by DJ Williams for a nine-yard loss. On third down, Denver brought pressure and cornerback Andre Goodman had a free run to the Giants quarterback.
Luckily, Manning was able to get the pass off without taking a safety in the end zone, but it was clear that the offensive line was just not the same.
On defense, this is clearly not the same group from the past two seasons. A combination of the loss of former defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, the new wrinkles that Bill Sheridan is implementing, and the players that are either injured, coming back from injury and not performing, or simply underperformance have all come together to make this defense among the NFL’s worst in the last six weeks despite what the statistics say.
No longer do they get consistent pressure on the quarterback. The linebackers do not have the speed to cover. The secondary is exposed because of the play by the front seven. Setting a tone and dictating the game is something they cannot do anymore.
On third downs, they cannot get off the field. When the opposing teams get inside the Giants 20, nearly 75 percent of the time, they score touchdowns. When it comes to holding a lead, they cannot do that either.
This is of course before the poor kickoff coverage and enigmatic kicking of Lawrence Tynes.
Add all of those elements together and you have a mediocre football team and not one that had Super Bowl aspirations when the year began.
It comes to a point when either they are underachieving or simply not good enough to perform to the expectation level that they themselves have set.
With each first down the Broncos had last night on the ground. With each pass thrown to an open receiver, and the most embarrassing of them all coming in the fourth quarter when no Giants defender was within 8 yards of receiver Brandon Stokley when quarterback Kyle Orton found him on a 17-yard touchdown strike to make it 23-6, it was the final straw.
Now they find their season potentially on the line at home in 10 days against the Cowboys. Win that game and they can breathe for another week.
They no longer control their own playoff fate and must now rely on other to do the work for them.
A loss next Sunday may provide the final nail in the Giants season coffin.
This year is free-falling fast and has no end in sight.
Giants dominated by Broncos, playoff hopes diminish
DENVER – Consider the Giants season on life support.
Maybe the team enjoyed too much turkey as part of their Thanksgiving dinner. Whatever it was, there was no sign of them on the field from the opening kickoff as they saw their chances to make the postseason for the fifth straight season officially on the precipice.
Seeing their record drop to 6-5, the Giants saw themselves dominated in all three facets of the game losing 26-6 to the Broncos at INVESCO Field. The loss dropped them two games behind the Cowboys, whoa had beaten the Raiders earlier in the day and one game behind the Packers, who defeated the Lions.
Not since losing 27-6 to the Eagles in 2004, had the Giants scored as many as they did on Thursday night.
The first half was a disaster for the Giants reminiscent of the blowouts they suffered in New Orleans and in Philadelphia during the teams four game losing streak.
Nothing went right and if it were not for the Broncos own ineptitude, the score would have been worse.
An ominous foreshadowing of problems for the Giants came on the teams opening possession. After Eli Manning found Hakeem Nicks for a six-yard completion on first down, the offense needed to call a timeout 32 seconds into the game.
The first three drives of the game resulted on only one first down and the Broncos took an early 6-0 lead on two field goals by kicker Matt Prater.
Things went from bad to worse when the Giants appeared to have their second first down when running back D.J (originally known as Danny) Ware on third-and-5 ran for a first down, but had the ball dislodged by Broncos linebacker Mario Haggan and Brian Dawkins recovered the fumble at the Giants 38.
Four plays later, Denver stuck it in the end zone. Brandon Marshall set up the score when he hauled in a one handed 28-yard reception to put the ball on the 10. Two plays later, running back Knoshown Moreno run off right tackle into the end zone for a 13-0 advantage.
Another field goal by Prater gave Denver a 16-0 lead at halftime. Their defense rendered the Giants offense useless, holding them to 38 total yards and 3 first downs.
These were the results of the Giants first six possessions: punt, punt, punt, fumble, punt, punt.
Not good.
Denver tried to allow the game to be close in the third quarter when cornerback Terrell Thomas intercepted quarterback Kyle Orton’s pass and returned it to the Giants 40. Manning and the offense converted the turnover into a 39-yard field goal by Lawrence Tynes to make it 16-3.
After the defense forced another punt and the Giants started at the own 14 and moved the ball to the Broncos 20. A touchdown would have brought the game to within one possession. However, penalties as they have during this losing skid would afflict them. Kevin Boss held on first down. Steve Smith committed offensive pass interference on the same play Ware suffered a concussion. Eventually, they had to settle for a 52-yard field goal by Tynes to trim the deficit to 16-6.
The final nail came early in the fourth quarter when the Broncos calmly moved the ball inside the Giants red zone. Facing third-and-8 from the 17, Orton found a wide-open Brandon Stokley on a slant pattern to up the lead to 23-6.
On the play, Denver ran three receivers to the right but as Stokley made his break to the inside, no Giants defender covered him, allowing him to waltz into the end zone untouched.
With no threat of running game the entire night (57 yards), the offense needed to pass on nearly every down (six rushing attempts in the second half). Unable to get separation from the Broncos defensive backs, the Giants could do anything on offense (267 total yards).
Elvis Dumervil came around the left edge to sack Manning on the next possession and Denver recovered the ensuing fumble to seal the game with just over nine minutes remaining. Prater’s fourth field goal of the night finish the scoring, upping the margin 20 points.
The supposed strength of the Giants team, its running game and offensive line, was again non-existent. Brandon Jacobs ran only 11 times for 27 yards. Manning, pressured all night from a combination of Denver’s coverage schemes and blitz packages was 25-of-40 for 230 yards and an interception.
Now trailing by two games in the NFC East, the Giants find themselves on the brink of division extinction if they lose to Dallas in 10 days.
A season with so much promise at 5-0 has gone astray.
The clock is now ticking on the Giants season.
Giants win, but problems still linger
EAST RUTHERFORD – Lawrence Tynes lined up for a 39-yard field goal in overtime. If the kick were good, the Giants would snap their four game losing skid.
A miss would give the ball back to Atlanta and with the way the defense was playing in the fourth quarter, would all but assure another devastating loss that have ended their playoff hopes.
The kick was good.
With the ball going through the uprights, the team could finally congratulate each other in victory. At 6-4, they could have something positive to look reflect upon.
However, a victory covered up some of the team’s biggest problems that did not find a cure.
Eli Manning was playing one of the best game had ever played inside Giants Stadium and his touchdown pass to Madison Hedgecock had just given the Giants a 31-17 lead with 12 minutes remaining. The task of the defense was to make one stop and the game would have been over.
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan drove his team down the field 65 yards to cut the deficit to seven points with 6:01 left and after the Giants offense stalled at their own 41 and punted the ball back to Atlanta with 3:24 left.
76 yards separated them from the tying score. The defense of the Giants gave up points to the Falcons on each of their last three drives to the tune of 17 points and there didn’t appear to be much of a chance they were going to stop them here.
As expected, Ryan directed his offense towards the end zone and scored when Tony Gonzalez for an 11-yard touchdown strike to send the game into overtime.
To the Giants luck, they were able to win the coin toss in overtime and without current rules to give each team a possession otherwise, the Falcons would have won the game.
Manning (25-of-39, 384 yards) efficiently moved the offense in sudden death and Tynes won it with his right foot. After 42 days, the Giants were finally back in the win column. It wasn’t too long ago where even in victory, there were plenty of issues with the team to complain about. While one should never complain about a win, this game came away with more questions than answers as they continue with six more “one game seasons”.
First, what happened to the defense in the second half?
At no point did the Giants make a stand and force either a punt or a turnover. Pressure applied to Ryan was non-existent in the final 30 minutes as he was able to find open receivers all over the field. After holding Atlanta to just one third down conversion in six attempts in the first half, the Giants defense could not get off the field in the second. The Falcons converted 8-of-10 and committed four defensive penalties.
Second, what happened to the Giants running game?
After 10 games, it is obvious now the offensive line that dominated last season has gone AWOL. Whether teams have countered everything the Giants did well, or are simply being beat at the line of scrimmage by defenders.
Once again, the pronounced strength of the team, its running game, has not been the same. Brandon Jacobs’s pile pushing style of last year has not appeared this season. Perhaps the loss of Derrick Ward hurts more than anyone could have realized. Ahmad Bradshaw has been serviceable, but in has not been able to replicate the production Ward brought to the offense last year.
Most of the penetration on the Giants running plays have come straight up the middle and guard Rich Seubert and center Shaun O’Hara have had subpar years after being recognized (in O’Hara’s case) as a Pro Bowl player in 2008.
There have been very few explosive running plays out of either Jacobs or Bradshaw and this stunning inconsistency has put the game on Manning to deliver a performance as he provided Sunday. The problem is that yesterday was a rather comfortable day at Giants Stadium for throwers because the wind was not a factor.
The final three home games for the Giants will begin December 6 against the Cowboys and the percentages are likely that wind and other weather elements will be in place. Without a running game of any consistency, eventual failure is sure to come, as Manning is sure to have an off game.
Not having a good enough defense (worst in the NFL in the red zone) combine that with the current plight in the red zone on offense (despite converting 3-of-5 chances Sunday) and the Giants have a lot more problems than solutions.
The win is nice. However, they have six games left to fix these problems.
Tynes FG in OT stops 4-game slide
EAST RUTHERFORD - At the rate the Giants were going for nearly six weeks, any win is a good win.
How they got it done would not matter. They got it done.
It took a game-winning walk off field goal by kicker Lawrence Tynes to get it done along with the fortunate bounce of the coin, but the Giants (6-4) ended their drought of 42 days and four games without a win by beating the Atlanta Falcons 34-31 at Giants Stadium.
The game would not have needed the extra session if the Giants defense, originally the team’s backbone, now playing the role of "liability", did not allow the Falcons to score two fourth quarter touchdowns in the game's final seven minutes to erase a 31-17 deficit forcing overtime.
By winning the coin toss, the Giants offense, not meeting much resistance from the porous Falcons pass defense all day, quickly marched down the field into field goal range for the winning kick.
In the first half, the Giants as a whole resembled the team that was 5-0 to begin the season. After an initial bad decision by Eli Manning on the offenses' first possession to throw an interception on third-and-29 play instead of playing field position, the groans from the crowd in The Meadowlands had the feeling of "Here we go again".
The Falcons did not take advantage and Tynes connected a 39-yard field goal to give the Giants an early lead. Atlanta responded by driving 65 yards in nine plays as fill in Jason Snelling scored untouched on a 7-yard touchdown run up the middle to make it 7-3.
In the second quarter, Tunes missed a 31-yard attempt. However, after a gaining great field position at their own 48 after a Falcons punt, quarterback Eli Manning drove the offense down, connecting with Hakeem Nicks (5 catches – 65 yards) for a completion of 30 yards. On the next play, Manning found tight end Kevin Boss open on the right sideline, stiff-armed cornerback Eric Coleman to the ground on his way to a 28 yard touchdown catch to take a 10-7 advantage.
Late in the half, a sack by Justin Tuck forced a fumble that Osi Umenyiora recovered at the Falcons 34. Six plays later, Manning once again found Boss (5 catches, 76 yards, 2 TD’s) in the end zone for their second touchdown connection and 17-7 halftime lead.
The Falcons cut the lead to three at the start of the third quarter when Snelling scored his second touchdown of the game on a one-yard run. The Giants came right back, driving 74 yards. Steve Smith (four catches – 79 yards) beat cornerback Chris Houston on a 51-yard catch to get down to the Atlanta 23. With the ball at the two, Jacobs found open space after running through a leg tackle and walked into the end zone standing up to increase the margin back to 10.
After Jason Elam’s 25-yard field goal cut the Giants lead to 24-17, the offense drove down the field again, this time 79 yards as Manning found fullback Madison Hedgecock for a 3-yard touchdown with 12:08 remaining to give the Giants a 31-17 cushion.
Quarterback Matt Ryan calmly moved the Falcons offense to within a touchdown when on a 12-play drive, he found open receiver Eric Weems on a four-yard touchdown pass and put the game in the hands of the Giants offense to run out the clock if they could pick up several first downs.
After picking up only one first down on their next possession, the Giants punted the ball back to Atlanta with 3:42 left up by 7 points and the ball resting at their own 24.
On a third-and-4 at the Falcons 40, Ryan found Roddy White for 22 yards to the Giants 38. Two plays later, tight end Tony Gonzalez hauled in a 14-yard reception to the Giants 24. With 0:35 remaining, Ryan found Gonzalez in the back of the end zone covered by two defenders for the game-tying touchdown to send the game into overtime. 
The Giants won the coin toss and with the way their offense consistently moved the ball the entire game, it was difficult seeing them losing the game. After Manning (25-of-39, 384 yards, 3 TD’s) found Nicks for a first down to the 48, Manning found Mario Manningham (six catches – 126 yards) for 29 yards down to the Falcons 23.
On fourth-and-5, Tynes came on and after an Atlanta timeout; he drilled his second game winning field goal of the season, this one from 36 yards to allow the Giants to emerge victorious.
The win keeps the Giants breathing in the playoff hunt. At 6-4, they remain one game behind Dallas, who beat the Redskins 7-6. Currently, there is a three-way tie with Philadelphia and Green Bay.
Going conservative in end costs Giants
EAST RUTHERFORD – After three straight losses, the season needed saving.
For most of the game, the Giants had sloppily played their way back to where they had finally taken the lead late in the fourth quarter. It was 17-14 and the defense, who was maligned the last three games for their atrocious play, was now slowing down the high-powered San Diego offense.
Phillip Rivers was looking to drive his team down for the game tying score, but his first pass over the middle was intercepted by Terrell Thomas, who took the ball down to the Chargers 4 with 3:14 remaining.
This was the chance for the Giants to close the game as Mariano Rivera did for the Yankees during their run to a World Series championship just four days prior. Punch the balls into the end zone to take a two score lead and erase the bad memories of the three games.
On first down, Brandon Jacobs got the hand off and plowed his way down near the 1, but the yellow flag came out and Chris Snee was called for a holding penalty that would back them up 10 yards.
Now it was first-and-goal from the 14, eliminating nearly all of the Giants goal line plays. Red zone offense all season has plagued them and the smartest observers could have predicted that this was not going to end well. 
However, what played out over the next three plays is going to be the question as long as the season continues to go as south.
On first down, Eli Manning found Hakeem Nicks on a wide receiver screen gaining nothing.
On second down, the Jacobs takes a shotgun handoff and runs up the middle for five yards.
You figured they were going to throw the ball into the end zone on third down now. There could be no other option, could it? Unless you have a special running play call in the book, getting nine yards isn’t the easiest thing in the world.
So what does Offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride relay to Manning on third down? A running play!
Not just any run, but the same play that was just run on second down!
Instead of putting the ball in their $97.5 million quarterback to win the game, they handoff to Jacobs who gains five yards down to the Chargers 4, a strangely conservative call where they would now be forced to kick a field goal to take an insignificant 20-14 lead.
The difference between 17-14 and 20-14 when you are under two minutes is irrelevant. Either a field goal ties the game or a touchdown beats you entirely assuming the Chargers leave you enough time on the clock to come back.
Coughlin and the coaching staff (who have been either in a slump or all taking a mid-season vacation) somehow did not do deductive reasoning on this. As soon as Lawrence Tynes made the 22-yard field goal to make it a six-point game, and the feeling of an impending loss was coming.
Had they gone for a touchdown on fourth down, three things could have happened.
One, either they score and go up by two scores.
Two, they could have been stopped short and turned the ball over on downs.
Three, a turnover that either would have given the Chargers the ball.
By choosing not to throw the ball into the end zone and subsequently kicking the field, the Giants played to the old cliché of “playing not to lose”.
San Diego now had the ball at the 20 with 2:05 remaining and one timeout. Rivers, without needing to be conservative as many teams do when they are trailing by three points, was forced to go for broke.
At the Giants 49 with 1:04 left, Rivers found Antonio Gates for a first down to the 39, but when Justin Tuck could not get up and lay on the turf, the Giants were charged a timeout that became advantageous to the Chargers because it gave them time to regroup and they still have their own timeout.
Darren Sproles got free down the middle of the field for 21 yards, then Vincent Jackson beat Corey Webster for an 18-yard touchdown to tie the game, and kicker Nate Kaeding’s extra point gave San Diego the lead.
While all of Giants Stadium stood in stunned disbelief, not many people could really have been surprised. The seeds were planted for this loss on the last possession. Nine penalties for 104 yards and the inability to convert on third down situations (5-for-14) allowed this game to put be in this predicament.
The Giants are no longer a good enough team to overcome ineptitude and bad coaching decisions. Four losses in a row to good teams after whipping up on the equivalent of 1-AA squads eliminate any good feelings that you have about this team.
This is not the failure of one individual, but a collective breakdown from every facet and it all manifested itself in the last 3:14 of this game.
It may have taken the season with it.
The question becomes whether the Giants are even a good team anymore.
Chargers rally for last second touchdown to stun Giants
EAST RUTHERFORD – Last week was described as “rock bottom”.
What do we call this?
After appearing to rally midway through the fourth quarter to take the lead and then having the chance to put the game away late, the Giants gave the Chargers life.
Taking advantage, San Diego took the ball and moved it down the field 80 yards for the winning score with 0:29 remaining for a 21-20 victory at Giants Stadium that may have effectively ended the season for Big Blue.
Losers of three straight the Giants were looking to get on the winning track and on the first quarter were moving the ball efficiently before being stopped at the Chargers 21 on a third-and-1 play when Ahmad Bradshaw was stopped short of the marker. On the fourth down, holder Jeff Feagles was unable to get a good grip on the ball after the snap, negating a field goal attempt by Lawrence Tynes.
Late in the first quarter, San Diego would take the opening lead. Receptions of 16 yards by Vincent Jackson and 19 yards by Antonio Gates moved the ball to the Giants 10. Utilizing a play fake, Jackson beat cornerback Corey Webster in the back of the end zone for a touchdown for a 7-0 lead.
The Giants countered with another long possession to tie score. Quarterback Eli Manning found Steve Smith for 19 yards and Darcy Johnson for 14 more. On third down, Manning found Smith on a skinny post for six-yard touchdown catch to even the score at 7-7 by halftime.
Both teams exchanged punts for most of the third quarter. A bad punt by Feagles gave the Chargers great field position as their own 49. A pass interference penalty on Webster on a pass intended for Jackson placed the ball on the 1, and two plays later Rivers found wide open third string tight end Kris Wilson for a touchdown to go back up 14-7.
The Giants answered with a 38-yard field goal by Tynes to trim the deficit to four. Following that, the defense made a stand, getting three-and-out on a sack by Fred Robbins and a nine yard loss when Justin Tuck tack Darren Sproles in the backfield.
Starting from the Chargers 39 after the punt, the Giants would take the lead when Manning (25-for-33, 215 yards, two touchdowns) found Kevin Boss in the back left corner of the end zone to make it 17-14.
With 3:30 to go, Rivers was looking to direct his offense to the tying score, but his first pass was intercepted by Terrell Thomas who returned it all the way to the Chargers 4.
A touchdown would have made it a 10 point game and almost assure the Giants a victory. After Brandon Jacobs (11 carries, 67 yards) gained three yards, the play negated due to a holding penalty on guard Chris Snee that backed the offense up 10 yards. 
After a reception by rookie Hakeem Nicks netted no yards, the Giants strangely went conservative, opting for two running plays out of the shotgun to Jacobs on second and third down. This led to a 22-yard field goal to up the margin to six with 2:07 left in the game as Coach Tom Coughlin put faith in his defense that had limited San Diego’s offense to 146 yards through nearly 58 minutes.
Rivers (24-for-36 for 209 yards, three touchdowns) and his offense took over at their own 20 with one timeout needing a touchdown to win. Receptions by Malcolm Floyd of 12 yards and Antonio Gates of 10 yards placed the ball at the Giants 39. Rivers would then find an open Sproles over the middle for a 22-yard reception down to the Giants 19. On the next play, Jackson (five catches-58 yards) beat Webster again and with no safety help over the top hauled in the pass for a touchdown. The extra point gave San Diego a one-point lead and the eventual victory.
The Giants go into the bye week at 5-4, losers now of four in a row and only the second team in league history to win their first five games and then lose their next four. Because of the Cowboys win, they trail by two games in the loss column.
After the week off, the Giants will host the Atlanta Falcons in the Meadowlands in a game that can make of or break their playoff hopes.
After eight long years, Yanks back where they belong
NEW YORK – It’s been said that the wins do not hurt as much as the losses do.
Maybe that is the case.
For the last eight years, there has only been that feeling of a loser, not winning the ultimate prize and being forced to start all over again.
But when Shane Victorino’s ground ball found its way into Robinson Cano’s glove, who threw on to first and the ball landed in Mark Teixeira’s glove and the final out was recorded, no longer were the Yankees losers.
They were world champions again.
It had taken 3,294 days, eight seasons and all of the money spent, the New York Yankees finally returned to the pinnacle of the baseball world, finally winning those 11 playoff games that had eluded them.
For others, hearing that eight years is a long time derives looks on anger from fans of other teams who haven’t won in longer spans. The Mets haven’t won in 23 years. The baseball Giants haven’t won in 55 years. The Indians haven’t won in 61 years. Of course, the Chicago Cubs and their 101 years of futility dwarf them all.
However, this is not about those teams. This is about the Yankees and what they play for. Each season brings a mandate of “win or else”. Once you are playing by those rules, nothing else short of winning the championship is acceptable barring unforeseen circumstances.
The Yankees play at the equivalent of the high stakes poker table. Winning is the only objective and failure is not an option. If you lose, you don’t get to walk away from it saying that you gave it the old college try. Instead, the question becomes why did you not get it done?
The Mets, Giants, Indians and Cubs do not play at the same table. For them, simply making the playoffs and winning a few games is acceptable to significant portion of their fan base. Just making the World Series, even if it doesn’t result in eventual victory is regarded as an unmitigated success.
Not for the Yankees.
When you lose at the big table and lose repeatedly at those prices, the years begin to add up. Eight years without winning isn’t the same as another franchise. That eight is another teams 80.
They were given a pass in 2001 because of the incredible drama that they created in that World Series against Arizona. Those game-tying homeruns in Game 4 and Game 5 to put them within a victory of winning for the fourth straight year. Then, to have a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 7 with the greatest postseason pitcher of generation to close it, you couldn’t ask for anything more.
Losing in 2003 to the Marlins after coming back in Game 7 to defeat the Red Sox was crushing. They had a 2-1 series lead and got a two-run triple in the ninth inning of Game 4 to tie the game and you thought championship 27 was coming. Instead, an injury to David Wells and seeing Josh Beckett shutting down the Yankees in Game 6 ended hopes.
Then there was 2004. 
First round losses followed in each of the next three years, and the old magic was being ripped away. No longer was there a belief that they would win. Instead, you expected something to go wrong. Since going up 3-0 on the Red Sox, the Yankees had won an inconceivable four of 17 playoff games.
This was why when the postseason started this year, there was plenty of trepidation. No longer did it matter that they were the best team in baseball during the regular season, winning 103 games. It didn’t matter that this was the best Yankees team we had seen since the 1998 club that won 125 games.
There was still a feeling of the “unknown”.
When they lost their first playoff game to the Angels in Game 3, the angst rose that they would blow that series despite having a 2-0 lead. In Game 5 when the Yankees came back from 4-0 down in the seventh inning to take the lead only to give it back and eventually lose, it brought memories back to 2004. You just didn’t think they would lose to a team they were clearly superior to.
In the World Series, when they lost Game 5 to the Phillies, the thoughts lingered that with the way manager Joe Girardi has aligned his pitching rotation and starting them all on three days rest. Thus allowing the potent Philadelphia bats to tee off on Andy Pettitte in Game 6 and force an “anything goes” Game 7 with a chance to steal the championship.
Many people believed in this team, but they weren’t true believers, still waiting for the rug to be pulled out.
What many failed to see was the strength and resolve that the team had. This team was an incredibly tough team that never allowed losses to linger.
One loss was never carried to the next day. Each game they would say that and no one wanted to believe them. Most of them were asked about the past and none of them cared about those days because players such as Nick Swisher, AJ Burnett, Mark Teixeira and CC Sabathia were not there.
They were looking to write their own story, paint their own picture.
Hideki Matsui’s homerun in the first, two-run single in the third and two-run double in the fifth began the countdown of outs. For years, all one would complain about is how the Yankees could never get the big hit in the playoffs over the last eight years to either win games or break them open.
It was happening. 
It had been happening all postseason. From Alex Rodriguez’s home run barrage to tie and give the Yankees leads in games, to getting clutch outs from the pitching staff. They were making the right play at the right time to win these games.
The Yankees had been playing like this ever since Rodriguez returned to the lineup in May going 90-44. Perhaps most were not realizing it until now. This was a special team to remember for all of us. As the outs continued to dwindle, the 27th championship was all but inevitable.
Rivera stood on the mound with the ball in his hands needing to get three final outs. The Phillies had not hit him the entire postseason. Neither did anyone else and it wasn’t about to begin now. Where all other closers had failed (look it up, the ALL did), there was one man shining above the rest.
When that final out was recorded and the Yankee team stormed out of the dugout, you could see the reactions of numerous players.
Jorge Posada raising his arms to the sky.
Derek Jeter with this traditional pump fist before running toward to ensuing mob.
Alex Rodriguez, now finally a champion, screaming “Yes” to the sky.
Rivera, with a large smile on his face, greeting the rest of his teammates and joining in the largest team hug you will see.
All of them champions once more, or for some, champions for the first time. It was as if they were kids again. You didn’t think about the money spent or the high payroll. Those arguments are for another day.
As they gathered and eventual went to the outfield for a victory lap to celebrate with the fans that had come to see one, you forget about how long it had been since this had happened.
At that moment, all of the games, the travel, the staying up late, the long games, ticket prices, day-to-day drama, past failures and the long wait and everything else associated with being a part of the Yankees all came to a head.
It was all worth it.
It was something to appreciate more because it was then where you realize how difficult winning actually is.
The Yankees found out the hard way. Now, they back on top of the baseball’s Everest.
“Bad AJ” shows up, gives Phillies hope
PHILADELPHIA – Before Monday night’s Game 5, my belief was that if the game were simply within striking distance after six innings, the Yankees would be able to seize on the tenseness the defending world champion Phillies, their fans, and anyone that Manager Charlie Manuel was going to bring into the game whenever Cliff Lee couldn’t throw anymore.
Problem is AJ Burnett did not allow this strategy to develop.
As each Phillies hitter reached base, and eventually scored in the first three innings, the “master plan” blew up.
From the outset of the game, it was clear that Burnett had nothing. Jimmy Rollins had singled to lead off the bottom of the first and then he hit Shane Victorino with a pitch to put him on base. This brought up Chase Utley, who has been using the World Series as his own personal batting practice session. He took Burnett’s first pitch fastball and crushed it into the Philadelphia night in right field for a three-run homer to not only give back the 1-0 lead he was staked to, but now give the Phillies the lead, life and some belief.
Just like in Anaheim two weeks prior, Burnett had problems in the first inning. In Game 5 that night, he gave up four runs before even retiring a batter. At least give him credit for minimizing has past damage. 
Clearly this was another edition in the reality series “Good or bad AJ” and this time the “Bad AJ” showed himself. Obviously, pitching on the road is his kryptonite.
Pitching a scoreless second inning was only window dressing for the third inning when walked the first two hitters and then gave up back-to-back RBI singles to Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez to extend the lead to 5-1 and that was all Manager Joe Girardi (or any of us) needed to see tonight.
The difference between the way he pitched in Game 2 of the series and Game 5 was unbelievably drastic. 22 of 25 Phillies hitters saw a first pitch strike. He had them on the defensive that night and pitched the best game of Yankee career in the biggest possible situation.
However, there has been a distinct difference in his performance at home and the road not only during the regular season, but also in the playoffs. The percentages were certainly not in his favor coming into this game. Having him take the mound on three days rest simply added to the potential of a complete blowup.
For $82.5 million, this is what the Yankees have gotten. A pitcher that can deliver a brilliant performance and stifle an opposing team, and then what we saw last night.
This is never going to change. He is what he is. The “light bulb” will never go off. He is never going to “find it” consistently as some people held belief of months ago. Burnett likely would have blown up whether he had three days or 30 days rest.
All he had to do was remain competitive and grind the game out. Even if he had given up four runs and stayed in the game he would bought the Yankees time. Cliff Lee was not the unhittable pitcher that he was in Game 1 at Yankee Stadium. Because of not having the DH (putting Hideki Matsui on the bench) and Burnett’s need to be psychologically massaged by having Jose Molina behind the plate (thus putting Jorge Posada on the bench), the Yankees were essentially running out a non-competitive lineup. This was as bad a lineup seen since Game 4 of the 1988 World Series when the Los Angeles Dodgers had a lineup of nobodies hitting against Oakland Athletics starter Bob Welch.
Somehow, they won the game.
In the Yankees case, they were being compromised against a good pitcher made worse by the fact that Robinson Cano has been mired in a postseason slump and Brett Gardner was not going to have much of chance getting on base against the Phillies left-hander.
Lee got the game into the eighth inning before the Yankees offense mounted a comeback, scoring two runs off him and three in the frame to cut it to 8-5. In the ninth, with Ryan Madson closing instead of Brad Lidge, the tying run came to the plate with no outs. Derek Jeter hit into a double play and Mark Teixeira eventually struck out to end the game. Though it was a loss, it served notice that the Phillies ability to protect a lead against this team is smaller than an aspirin.
This was why Burnett keeping the game close mattered so much. This was why he pitched did not give the Yankees a chance.
Burn out.
Yanks unable to win title, lose 8-6 to Phillies
PHILADELPHIA – Put the celebration on hold.
The Yankees, if they want to win their 27th world championship, it will have to happen back at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night in Game 6.
Put in a deep hole early in the game by AJ Burnett, who was removed after two innings, the Yankees attempted a late rally, but eventually fell short, losing Game 5 of the World Series to the Phillies 8-6 in front of 46,178 at Citizens Bank Park.
After trailing by as many as six runs going into the eighth inning, the Yankees scored three runs in that frame and had the tying run at the plate in the ninth before Mark Teixeira struck out to end the game.
AJ Burnett put the Yankees in an early hole from the very first inning. He was given a 1-0 lead before throwing a pitch when Alex Rodriguez doubled into the right field corner off Phillies starter Cliff Lee.
After yielding a single to Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino reached when on a bunt attempt. Burnett’s fastball ran inside on his hands, landing him on the dirt.
Chase Utley would make him pay by drilling Burnett’s first pitch fastball for three-run blast to give the Phillies a 3-1 advantage. After not allowing a run in the second, Burnett found trouble in the third inning when he walked Utley and Ryan Howard to start. A hanging curveball to Jayson Werth was lined into center for an RBI single and Raul Ibanez followed with one of his own to make it 6-1 as Manager Joe Girardi ended Burnett’s night.
The enigmatic right hander had nothing, going only two innings, allowing six runs and four hits, walking four in a 53 pitch outing.
David Robertson and Alfredo Aceves teamed up to pitch four scoreless innings and held the Phillies at six, but getting additional runs off Lee was going to be very difficult. The Yankees scored a run on an RBI groundout to trim the margin to four.
It was 6-2 after six innings, but the Phillies were able to take on two additional runs in the bottom of the seventh inning off lefty Phil Coke. Utley hit his fifth homerun of the series on a deep fly to right center. With two outs, Ibanez crushed a homerun off the second deck in right.
The rally began for the Yankees in the eighth when Damon reached on an infield single. Teixeira doubled and Rodriguez brought in both runs by doubling to left center. Ibanez made a dive attempt, but the ball hit off his glove. That marked the end of the night for Cliff Lee, who was far more hittable in this start than at any point in the postseason.
Lee went seven innings, giving up five runs and seven hits, walking three and striking out three on 112 pitches.
Chan Ho Park came in to relieve Lee and the score became 8-5 when Rodriguez scored from third on a sacrifice fly by Robinson Cano.
Electing not to use closer Brad Lidge with a three-run lead In the ninth, Phillies Manager Charlie Manuel chose to use eighth inning specialist Ryan Madson to get the final three outs. Madson quickly got into trouble as the Yankees got the first two men on to start. Jorge Posada doubled and pinch hitter Hideki Matsui singled to left to bring Derek Jeter up as the tying run.
Jeter got ahead of the count 2-0 and after Madson threw a strike, Jeter swung at a sinker and grounded into a double play. Posada scored, but now there were two outs and no one on base with the Yankees trailing by two.
Damon extended the game with a single to center and Teixeira stepped to the plate with Rodriguez in the on deck circle. Teixeira quickly fell behind 0-2, and after holding up on a changeup for a ball, Madson threw another changeup for a strikeout to end the game.
The series now returns to Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night for Game 6. Andy Pettitte will work on three days rest for the Yankees and Pedro Martinez takes the ball for the Phillies who will try to force a seventh game.
Yankees rally a blast from past
PHILADELPHIA– Here the Yankees were, in a tie game in the top of the ninth inning in Citizens Bank Park, down to their final out and strike.
They had gambled and started CC Sabathia on three days rest and were successful. Joba Chamberlain was one strike away from pitching a dominant eighth inning and preserving a one-run lead before leaving a fastball to Pedro Feliz, a dead fastball hitter, who crushed it to left field to tie the game.
Now, the Yankees were finding themselves in a precarious situation. If they did not score in the ninth, they would go to the bottom half against the top of the Phillies order with Phil Coke and Phil Hughes, which is essence would have been a sure victory. This would have meant an even series, Cliff Lee starting in Game 5, and with the way he has pitched in the postseason, elimination would have been staring them in the face.
Here was Brad Lidge, the Phillies closer who was perfect all of last season, but anything but this season. He blew 11 saves this season and was nothing of a sure thing in this postseason. Lidge had not pitched a game in this series and here he was on the mound trying to keep the game tied and give his team a chance. Facing Hideki Matsui and Derek Jeter, he looked like the closer who was dominant and overpowering the season before, with both hitters not looking to have much of a chance against him. Matsui popped out to short and Jeter struck out swinging as the crowd was in a roar with their white towels waving. 
In stepped Johnny Damon and he quickly feel behind two strikes. The inevitable appeared to be coming. Damon fouled a ball off, and then took two more balls out of the zone to bring the count full and then two more foul balls. Lidge seeming could not put Damon away. On the ninth pitch of the at bat, Damon singled to left center to give the Yankees life.
The at bat was reminiscent of three previous at bats in the Yankees past. Who can forget Wade Boggs drawing the bases loaded walk off Steve Avery in Game 4 in 1996? How about Paul O’Neill working Mets closer Armando Benitez for a 10-pitch one out walk in Game 1 of the 2000 World Series? Lastly, the lengthy at bat Jorge Posada put on Al Leiter in Game 5 of that series after the Mets left-hander had already struck out the first two and was up 0-2 on the count.
The baton was now carried to Mark Teixeira, who outside of his homerun in Game 2, had not shown up in the series. On a 1-0 pitch, Damon took off for second and stole the base. However, with the Phillies defense in an over shift on Teixeira, no one was covering third base. With presence of mind, Damon took off for third and made it there uncontested. It was the most stunning of plays.
With Damon on third, the ability of Lidge (known for his wild pitches) to use his slider was negated. Perhaps he was rattled by was unfolding around him as with the next offering after the stolen base, Teixeira was hit in the side with a pitch. This put runners on the corners with two out and brought Rodriguez to the plate.
It is amazing how a moment can just find you. For Rodriguez, this was it. He made himself known to the playoff world against the Twins and played on another planet against the Angels. He had struggled in the first two games against the Phillies, but in Game 3 completely altered the course of the game when he hit a two-run homer off the FOX camera in right, igniting an eventual five-run rally over two innings to chase Cole Hamels from the game. Here he was again with a chance to further cement has become his season of redemption.
After taking a first pitch fastball for a strike, Lidge tried to go back inside once again, this time Rodriguez was ready for it, hammering it to left for a double giving the Yankees the lead. As he got to second, he clapped both hands in triumphed and pointed at his teammates. They had become a true “team” in every sense this season. You do not come back 54 times this season without having belief in each other that you can do it.
Much like in Game 5 of the Subway Series when Scott Brosius singled to left after Posada drew that walk and Luis Sojo hit a bouncing chopper up the middle for a championship-winning single to make it a three-peat and fourth title in five years. It had all started so innocently that year with a walk.
This year, it was Damon working an old-school classic Yankee at bat. Then stealing second and instinctually going to third. Lidge did his part by hitting Teixeira and then Rodriguez delivered a hit that people will remember forever.
Posada would then deliver a two-run double to left center to extend the lead to 7-4, but even that seemed inevitable. Lidge’s spirit was broken the at bat before and the Phillies team spirit was broken when Posada made it a three-run margin.
Knowing Mariano Rivera was set to pitch the bottom of the ninth, the defending world champions themselves were resigned to their fate. They had not scored off him in this series and trailing by three runs, they were not going to score off him now.
All it took was eight pitches to get those final three outs. It took nine pitches before Damon got the hit to start it all. Now the Yankees, one victory from their 27th world title are on the brink with a 3-1 series lead.
They have played like champions all year. Now, they are 27 defensive outs away from becoming champions.
Yankees get three in ninth, one win away from title
PHILADELPHIA – The champagne is on ice.
It looked as if the Yankees gamble to start CC Sabathia on three days rest was going to backfire as Joba Chamberlain was unable to protect a one-run lead in the eighth inning.
Down to their final strike in the ninth inning, the Yankees reached back into their vault of the late 90’s resourcefulness and pulled out a win that if they go on to win it all, will be remembered in Yankee history forever.
Down to their final strike in the ninth inning of a 4-4 tie, a walk, heads up play on the bases, and a memorable clutch hit to take the lead, a 3-1 series advantage and with a victory in Game 5, can win their first World Series championship since 2000.
The Yankees 7-4 victory over the Phillies in front of 46,145 at Citizens Bank Park was another to be added to the “Yankees Classics” that are likely to be shown during the win if they go on to win it all.
Phillies closer Brad Lidge was entrusted in preserving a 4-4 tie in the top half of the ninth inning. He was able to get the first two outs when Hideki Matsui popped out to shortstop and Derek Jeter struck out swinging. With two outs and no one on, Johnny Damon was down in the count 1-2 before fouling away pitches and eventually working the count foul leading to a single to left center.
On a 1-0 pitch to Mark Teixeira, Damon took off for second and made it sliding feet first. However, with the Phillies playing in an over shift to the right side against the Teixeira, (a known pull hitter) Damon took off for third and made it uncontested with no one covering the bag.
Teixeira was then hit in the side by a Lidge fastball and this brought up Alex Rodriguez. After taking the first pitch for a strike, Rodriguez laced a double to left that scored Damon and gave the Yankees a 5-4 lead.
Jorge Posada would then single home two more runs when he hit another fastball into left center to extend the lead to three runs before Mariano Rivera came in and needed only eight pitches to slam the door.
The game was tied in the ninth because the Yankees bullpen was unable to hold a one-run lead in the bottom of the eighth inning. Joba Chamberlain was one strike away from pitching a 1-2-3 frame as he struck out the first two hitters before going to a 3-2 count on Pedro Feliz, a deadly fastball hitter. A fastball found the middle of the plate and Feliz took it out to tie the score.
That took what would have been a victory from CC Sabathia, who started on three days rest and pitched into the seventh inning, leaving with a 4-3 lead.
The Yankees gave Sabathia a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning. Jeter singled and Damon doubled to open the game. Teixeira’s groundout to first scored Jeter from third. After Phillies starter Joe Blanton hit Alex Rodriguez, Posada followed with a sacrifice fly to score Damon from third.
Sabathia gave a run back in the bottom of the inning when Chase Utley, who homered twice of Sabathia in Game 1, doubled off the wall in right center, scoring Shane Victorino to cut the lead to 2-1. The next seven in a row would be retired before Ryan Howard singled to center, stole second base and then scored on a base hit to left by Feliz. Damon’s throw was ahead of Howard to the plate, but Howard was able to dislodge the ball out of Posada’s glove, yet as replays would later show, never touched home plate. The Yankees did not argue because the moment the ball went past Posada glove, Sabathia (who was covering the play from behind) threw quickly to second to get out Feliz.
The Yankees would retake the lead in the top half of the fifth when Jeter singled to shallow left to score Nick Swisher (who lead off the inning with a walk) to make it 3-2. An RBI single by Damon scored Melky Cabrera (reached on an infield single) to regain the two run advantage.
Sabathia looked to be on the ropes in the bottom half when the Phillies got the first two runners on to start the inning when Jimmy Rollins singled and Victorino drew a walk. Philadelphia could not take advantage as Utley and Howard each popped out and Jayson Werth struck out to end the inning.
After Utley homered for the third time in the series off Sabathia in the bottom of the seventh, the Yankee left-hander was done for the night. Working on three days rest, he went 6 2/3 innings, giving up three runs and seven hits, walking three and striking out six in 107 pitches.
Damaso Marte, who has impressed in the postseason, struck out Howard to end the seventh and preserved the Yankee lead until the bottom of the eighth when Chamberlain entered.
Monday night, the Yankees will look to wrap up the series in Game 5 with AJ Burnett, starting on three days rest against Cliff Lee, who pitched a complete game against them in Game 1 and has a 3-0 mark with a 0.54 ERA in four postseason starts.
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.
Yanks unleash on Hamels, Pettitte holds on to take 2-1 lead
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.
