PHILADELPHIA - NOVEMBER 02: Ryan Madson #46 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates their 8-6 win against the New York Yankees in Game Five of the 2009 MLB World Series at Citizens Bank Park on November 2, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Ryan Madson
Posted: Tuesday, 03 November 2009 6:56AM
Phillies Hold Off Yankees To Force Game Six
PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - The Philadelphia Phillies kept their championship hopes alive by beating the New York Yankees 8-6 Monday to force a sixth game in the best-of-seven World Series.
Chase Utley belted two home runs to support the pitching of Cliff Lee, the same combination that produced victory in last week's Fall Classic opener.
"It's the World Series, it's a do-or-die game," Utley told reporters after last year's World Series winners cut the Yankees' lead to 3-2 ahead of Wednesday's Game Six.
Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, whose team needs to sweep two games in New York to retain the MLB trophy, hoped Utley could stay in his groove.
"Chase, when he gets hot, definitely he can get hot and stay hot for a month or two," said Manuel. "Knock on wood."
A New York fightback that produced four runs in the last two innings fell short as Phillies reliever Ryan Madson struck out Mark Teixeira, representing the tying run, to end it.
Utley blasted a three-run homer in the first inning and a solo shot in the seventh, giving him a total of five round-trippers in the championship showdown to tie the Series record set by Reggie Jackson for the Yankees in 1977.
The Phillies charged to an early 6-1 lead after Utley's first-inning contribution, followed by another three-run burst in the third against New York starter and loser A.J. Burnett.
Burnett, pitching on three days' rest for the first time this season, went two innings plus four batters, giving up six runs on four hits, four walks and one hit batsman.
The Yankees, who scored one run in the first, added another in the fifth but looked beaten after Utley and Raul Ibanez connected for solo homers in the seventh off reliever Phil Coke to push Philadelphia's lead to 8-2.
'DANGEROUS HITTER'
Yankees manager Joe Girardi said he was not surprised by Utley's heroics. "He's a very dangerous hitter, and he puts up great numbers every year."
Girardi said the seventh-inning runs were a back breaker.
"Those were tack-on runs that hurt us, obviously," he said. "We ended up with six runs tonight. We still had a chance in the ninth inning to possibly come back and tie it up or take the lead, but when you look back at it, those runs hurt us."
New York finally knocked Lee out of the game in the eighth with a three-run rally keyed by a two-run double from Alex Rodriguez.
Phillies reliever Park Chan-ho closed the door on New York to end the eighth and gave way to Madson for the ninth.
Jorge Posada doubled high off the wall in right to lead off the final frame for the Yanks and went to third on a pinch-hit single by Hideki Matsui.
Madson got Derek Jeter to bounce into a double play that scored Posada. Johnny Damon gave New York another chance to tie by singling to center, but the hard-throwing Madson struck out slugger Mark Teixeira to put the victory in the books.
The series goes back to New York for Game Six.
Philadelphia will send Pedro Martinez to the mound in another elimination game, while the Yankees are leaning toward starting Game Three winner Andy Pettitte on three days' rest needing one victory to claim their 27th World Series crown.
Story Copyright 2009, Reuters
Photo Copyright 2009, Getty Images
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