10/28/09 11:30 PM ET

Complete Lee: Phils ride gem over Yanks

Left-hander strikes out 10; Utley hammers two homers

By Todd Zolecki / MLB.com

It was Cliff Lee vs. CC Sabathia.

But ultimately, it was Lee and Chase Utley.

The Phillies beat the New York Yankees in impressive fashion Wednesday with a 6-1 victory in Game 1 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium.

Lee shut down the powerful Yankees lineup in a complete game. Utley hit two home runs against the nearly unbeatable Sabathia.

Sabathia struggled with his command early, and it started with Utley in the first. Sabathia retired Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino on five pitches before Utley stepped up. He was 0-for-5 with a walk and three strikeouts in his career against Sabathia, and he quickly found himself behind in a 1-2 count.

But Utley worked a six-pitch walk as Sabathia loaded the bases and threw 24 pitches in the first inning. The Phillies didn't score, but Utley made Sabathia work.

Utley fell behind Sabathia 1-2 in the third inning, but worked his way back in a nine-pitch at-bat to hit a 3-2 fastball for a solo home run to right field to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead. It was the first homer Sabathia had allowed to a left-handed hitter since Aug. 2, and his first homer to a left-handed batter at Yankee Stadium all year.

Utley hit a two-run home run in the first inning in Game 1 of the 2008 World Series to give the Phillies the early lead.

He repeated his act in Game 1 Wednesday.

But this time he wasn't finished.

He crushed an 0-2 fastball to right-center field for a solo homer in the sixth inning to give the Phillies a 2-0 lead.

Utley became the third player in Phillies World Series history to have a multihomer game. Lenny Dykstra hit two against the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 4 of the 1993 World Series at Veterans Stadium, and Ryan Howard hit two against the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 4 of the 2008 World Series at Citizens Bank Park.

As Sabathia had thrown 104 pitches through six innings, Lee had thrown just 86.

He dazzled, too.

He scattered just six hits, didn't walk a batter and struck out 10.

He also made some impressive defensive plays. He didn't budge when Johnny Damon hit a low popup back to the mound. He simply stuck out his glove and caught it.

Lee made a behind-the-back catch when Robinson Cano hit a ball up the middle in the eighth.

Everything he did worked.

Together, Lee and Utley helped the Phillies take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Todd Zolecki is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

11/02/09 2:45 AM EST

Johnny lately: Yanks' 9th makes Series 3-1

After Joba lets Phillies rally, Damon, A-Rod deliver in clutch

By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com

The Bombers stunned Brad Lidge and a sellout crowd at Citizens Bank Park with an astonishing ninth-inning rally on Sunday, securing Game 4 of the Fall Classic with a wild 7-4 decision, moving just nine innings away from celebrating in the Canyon of Heroes.

"I've said all along that I've felt this club has been extremely resilient all year," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "We've been through some up-and-down times, and our guys have gotten back up and played extremely well. All I think about is playing a good game tomorrow."

Using the formula that fueled 103 regular-season victories and now 10 more in the postseason, the Yankees dealt a crushing defeat to the Phillies after Pedro Feliz had provided hope with a game-tying eighth-inning homer off Joba Chamberlain.

The 105th World Series may have turned for good in the top of the ninth, as Damon finished a hard-fought nine-pitch at-bat against Lidge with a two-out flared single into left field. What followed was a display of instinctual baserunning that will be replayed and referenced for years to come.

Stealing second base on a slider in the dirt, Damon knew the infield had shifted for Mark Teixeira -- who was batting left-handed -- and he executed a popup slide to see that third base was left uncovered by Feliz, who was near second. Damon instantly broke, hoping his legs had enough juice left in them to outrun Feliz to third.

"I knew Feliz covered the bag, and I knew how he caught the ball," Damon said. "When I saw him right behind me, I thought, 'Man, I hope I'm still the Johnny Damon of 21 years old and not the 35-year-old guy.'"

In the Yankees' dugout, players were speechless for a moment until they realized where Damon was going. When Damon pulled into third base safely after the footrace, the Bombers erupted into applause.

"He called himself an 'Idiot' a few years back, right?" captain Derek Jeter said, referencing Damon's nickname on the 2004 Red Sox. "He looked pretty smart on that play."

When Teixeira was hit by a pitch, Rodriguez stepped to the plate in perhaps the biggest situation of his 16-year career. Expecting Lidge to stay away from his trademark slider with Damon 90 feet away, A-Rod crushed a fastball down the left-field line for a go-ahead double.

"There's no question, I have never had a bigger hit," Rodriguez said. "When I get good pitches to hit and I put a good swing on it, good things usually happen."

Jorge Posada added a two-run single, which was enough for the Yankees, who again got to savor what an advantage they have in handing the ball to Mariano Rivera. The future Hall of Famer locked down the ninth inning with eight pitches, recording his 11th World Series save.

"It's not a luxury every team has," Jeter said. "There isn't a closer that has ever played this game that you'd want to see in that position other than him. He comes around once in a lifetime."

Ace CC Sabathia -- signed to a $161 million deal last offseason -- started and did not have his sharpest command, but he dodged damage often enough to put together a gutsy effort and depart after 6 2/3 innings, entrusting a one-run lead to the bullpen.

Sabathia hung tough against Philadelphia despite seeing Posada wear a path to the mound with frequent visits that earned a chorus of boos.

"They're a good team," Sabathia said of the Phillies. "You know, they're the defending champs. They have an American League lineup, and you have to battle. There's really no time limit on the game, so it's up to us to make sure we're making the right pitches and doing the right things."

Sabathia's 107th and final pitch was rocketed over the right-field wall for a home run by Chase Utley -- who has hit three off Sabathia during the Fall Classic -- and it was the only call Posada would second-guess.

"He was outstanding," Posada said. "He really gave us a chance to win. If we can take one pitch back, I would take the pitch that Utley hit. Everything else, you really have to give credit to the hitters. He was on."

The Yankees gave Sabathia early breathing room with two first-inning runs, and after the Phillies tied the game by scoring in the first and fourth innings, Jeter and Damon logged fifth-inning RBI singles to regain the lead from Joe Blanton, who allowed four runs in six frames.

Warnings were issued to both clubs in the first inning after A-Rod was hit by a Blanton offering, Rodriguez's third plunking of the World Series. While Rodriguez later declined to discuss being hit, TV microphones captured Rodriguez telling home-plate umpire Mike Everitt, "It's the third time. It's a little obvious."

The Yankees thought it was the best that they have seen Chamberlain in some time, with Posada calling his stuff "electric."

But Chamberlain missed his location with a fastball to Feliz, who slugged it for the game-tying homer, bringing the Philadelphia crowd back to life.

That frenzy of white towel-waving persisted for a span of just three more outs, as Damon and Rodriguez combined to suck the passion out of the building and leave the Phillies despondent about their hope of being baseball's first back-to-back World Series title team since the dynasty Bombers of the late 1990s.

"That's this team," Chamberlain said. "We just go out and pick each other up. In the bullpen, you get to go back out there tomorrow. I can't say enough of these guys for picking me up."

A.J. Burnett gets the ball on Monday evening, when the Yankees will try to topple Cliff Lee -- who beat New York with a dominant complete-game effort in Game 1 -- as the final stumbling block to a championship title.

"We won't think about that now until it's done," Damon said. "They're a great team. We're not going to count anything until our job is finished."

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

11/05/09 3:45 AM EST

World Champions in the BronXXVII

Matsui ties mark with six RBIs; Pettitte gets 'W' in clincher

By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com

It was the dream that the franchise had waited nine years to fulfill, and as the players clustered to celebrate the perfect ending to the inaugural season at Yankee Stadium, they can finally -- and forever -- claim that the 27th championship is theirs.

"You realize how difficult it is to get here," Yankees captain Derek Jeter said. "I never lost sight of the fact that it's very difficult to get to the World Series, let alone to win one. You realize and remember how hard it is."

With Mariano Rivera inducing Shane Victorino to hit an easy ground ball to second base for the 27th and final out, the Yankees' mission statement was complete on Wednesday, frozen in the history books with a 7-3 victory over the Phillies in Game 6 of the World Series.

"This is what the Steinbrenner family has strived for, year after year -- to deliver to the city of New York," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "To be able to deliver this to the Boss, the stadium that he created and the atmosphere around here, it's very gratifying to all of us."

In what may have been their final games in pinstripes, Hideki Matsui tied a World Series record with six RBIs and Andy Pettitte stepped up on three days' rest to green-light what promises to be a raucous celebration parade down the Canyon of Heroes on Friday starting at 11 a.m. ET.

"This is what you set out to do when you go to Spring Training," Pettitte said. "It's a great feeling to be able to accomplish with the rest of the team. This is what you play for."

With old foe Pedro Martinez standing in the way of the end to a nine-year title drought, Matsui starred on the biggest stage of his career, belting a two-run homer and drilling a two-run single off the Phillies right-hander to provide Pettitte, the old workhorse, with a cushy advantage.

"My first and foremost goal when I joined the Yankees was to win the world championship," Matsui said. "Certainly, it's been a long road and a very difficult journey. I'm just happy that after all these years, we were able to win and reach the goal that I had come here for."

Once a fresh face of the dynasty, Pettitte tugged the bill of his cap low over flecks of gray hair and prayed that his left arm could deliver the World Series rings with one more night to remember -- this start on short rest, an equation that has given him mixed results over the years.

Pettitte needn't have worried, attacking the Phillies' lineup and holding the National League champions to three runs over 5 2/3 innings, earning every decibel of a standing ovation from the crowd of 50,035 as he jogged off the field.

"My command wasn't real good, but I was able to get through it and make some pitches when I had to," Pettitte said. "I'm just very thankful for that."

Descending the dugout steps while acknowledging the roar, Pettitte and those behind him in relief allowed Girardi to make the easiest decision he has had all postseason -- put the ball in the right hand of Rivera, the best closer history has ever known, and wait to celebrate.

"Game over," Jeter said. "He's human. He's going to give up some runs here and there. But a four-run lead? C'mon, man. We could have gone and played another nine innings."

"I can't be happier than I am right now with this special team that we have," Rivera said. "We worked hard for this one. It's a beautiful thing."

The on-field exultation would not have been possible without Matsui, who played in the 2003 World Series after coming over from Japan and saw the franchise fall into a dry postseason patch, wondering if he would have the opportunity to feel the exhilaration of a New York championship.

Matsui put the Yankees back on top with a hard-fought at-bat against Martinez in the second inning, belting the eighth pitch for a high, arcing drive that landed in the second deck of the right-field grandstands -- the third home run of this World Series for the Series MVP.

"Matty has been a clutch player ever since I met him," Girardi said. "Again, he was just clutch. We missed him dearly last year. It just shows you the determination and heart."

The homer was a crushing early blow against Martinez, who was loudly serenaded with ringing chants of "Who's Your Daddy?" -- a leftover from 2004, when Martinez eventually got the last laugh. Not this time, as Matsui struck in the fourth with a bullet liner that brought home Jeter and Johnny Damon.

Teixeira touched Chad Durbin for a run-scoring single in the fifth inning, and Matsui blasted the capping blow later in the inning, a two-run double off lefty J.A. Happ. The six RBIs from Matsui tied a Major League record set by Bobby Richardson in Game 3 of the 1960 World Series.

More importantly, it put the champagne on ice in anticipation of the Yankees' 11th postseason win after 103 in the regular season, leaving them as the last team standing and uncorking a raucous, loud celebration at Yankee Stadium and throughout the five boroughs of New York City.

"This is the top -- winning a championship for the New York Yankees, I just feel so blessed," Teixeira said. "It's such a blessing to be a part of this group."

It was a journey that began when the Yankees steamrolled the Twins in the American League Division Series. New York then emerged victorious in a hard-fought AL Championship Series to topple the nemesis Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim before meeting the NL's best in the 105th Fall Classic.

Philadelphia presented a challenge, especially after ace Cliff Lee handcuffed the Bombers' potent lineup in the first World Series game played at the new Yankee Stadium, but the Yankees won three straight before losing Game 5, providing the opportunity to celebrate the championship at home.

"It takes a lot to be here," catcher Jorge Posada said. "We were spoiled in the 1990s and 2000, so to be back and win it is really special."

To hear the Yankees talking about the anticipation driving them, this push was for the "core four," as Jeter, Pettitte, Posada and Rivera returned to their glorious youth, partying like it was 2000 all over again and acquiring a fifth ring for the thumb -- 3,296 days after the last one.

"This is what you dream of as a kid," Jeter said. "It doesn't get any bigger than this. You've got to enjoy it when the spotlight is on."

It was the wish of those who have put in their time without having the opportunity to taste the sweetness of that stage, like Matsui and Alex Rodriguez, who played major parts in powering the Yankees here after coming to New York years earlier and being rebuffed time and time again.

"I've been humbled -- I've been through a lot," Rodriguez said. "And I can't be happier with the way the Steinbrenner family, the coaches and players and the city of New York has supported me."

And above all else, it was for principal owner George M. Steinbrenner, whose declining health has been no secret and who watched the first two games of the World Series from his box seats at Yankee Stadium before taking in this victory via television from his Tampa, Fla., home.

"I thank God for this and Mr. George," Rivera said. "I had hoped he was here, but he's not. But I'm grateful that I work for him. Definitely, this one was special. I think we have accomplished something great."

A certain urgency was embedded in the Yankees' actions during the offseason, as they doled out $423.5 million to acquire the top three free agents on the market, fitting ace CC Sabathia, right-hander A.J. Burnett and Teixeira for pinstripes and incorporating them into a clubhouse that meshed wonderfully.

The biggest statement was the five-word slogan affixed to the franchise postseason run -- "Win It For The Boss."

Those within the Yankees family thirsted to present Steinbrenner with the opportunity to savor one more moment, and with Girardi wearing the uniform No. 27 as a daily reminder of the job expectation, they finally have.

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.