Too Much to Handle, Yanks win 27

When it comes down to it, the Yankees simply had too much depth for the Philadelphia Phillies to handle. The Yankees had all areas covered including starting pitching and closer Mariano Rivera. This point was quite telling as the only 2 games won by the Phillies were pitched by starter Cliff Lee, who was brilliant. The Phillies didn't have the starting pitching or the bullpen to keep pace with the Yankees. What appeared to be an evenly matched fight after Philadelphia's Game 1 victory, was not a fair fight at all. Despite poor overall offensive numbers, the Yankees relied on timely hitting in clutch situations in order to hoist World Series Championship number 27. Hideki Matsui was named World Series MVP mostly for his Game 6 exploits-- a 2-run home run and 6 rbi-- as no clear front-runner existed among Yankee hitters and pitchers.

If told that CC Sabathia did not win a single game in this World Series, I would have most likely asked how many games did the Phillies win in? Of course they didn't as the Yankees won the series 4-2. As cliche as this might sound, this was in fact a true team effort on the part of the Yankees. If not for Matsui's big offensive night, it may have proved difficult to decide a World Series MVP. In the end the Yankees just got it done, what else can be said? The offense didn't exactly punish Philadelphia pitching, but the Yankee pitchers outpitched their Philadelphia counterparts. Outside of Cliff Lee's 2 starts, the Phillies could not rely on Cole Hamels, Joe Blanton, Pedro Martinez, J. Happ and Co. to provide enough support against a stacked Yankee lineup where any one individual could hurt you. Going with a 3-man rotation of Sabathia, Burnett, and Pettitte figured to be a calculated risk on the part of manager Joe Girardi, putting all three on short rest for Games 4, 5, and 6. But it certainly reaped its rewards, as Sabathia and Pettitte both pitched extremely well, resulting in Yankee victories.

Moving forward, GM Brian Cashman-- whom oddly wasn't present at the W.S. Award presentation-- has job security for another year, as the Yankee franchise under the Steinbrenners' ownership isn't satisfied with just one championship. Expect the Yankees to go well over $200 million in payroll in order to recreate the dynasty of the late 1990s. As for the Phillies, its incredible now to think that this team made it to the World Series with the starting and relief pitching they displayed throughout the regular season. However, this is a testament to how good this team really was, as they were able to repeat as NL Champions. An overhaul including the need for starting pitching and a closer will ensue this offseason in search of a 4th straight NL East title and a possible return to the World Series.

Phillies Stay Alive in Game 5

The Phillies made it interesting Monday night after letting a 8-2 lead dwindle into an 8-6 victory in Game 5. Lee wasn't great or flashy as in previous contests, but he held the Yankees to 2 runs before running into trouble in the 8th inning. The Phillies owned this game from the moment Burnett offered a pitch over the middle of the plate to Chase Utley in the bottom of the 1st inning. Suddenly the Phillies were up 3-1 on a 3-run homer off the bat of Utley. For good measure, he would homer again later in the game. Burnett was awful coming off short rest (3 days), and couldn't make it out the 2nd inning before surrendering 5 runs, leaving down 5-1. After Utley's 2nd home run as well as Ibanez's homer, the Phillies led 8-2, never looking back.

Much was made in New York about Joe Girardi's decision to pitch Burnett on short rest instead of Chad Gaudin. After Burnett's shelling, much more will be said about whether it was smart to allow Burnett and Pettitte to pitch on short rest instead of opting for Gaudin in Game 5, and selecting either Burnett or Pettitte for a Game 6 with full rest.

The Yankees are up 3-2 in the series heading back to New York for Game 6. Andy Pettitte will oppose Pedro Martinez. Pettitte will pitch on 3 days rest as Burnett did, whereas Pedro will have a full 4 days. If the Phillies should reach a Game 7, Cliff Lee will be available to pitch at least an inning.

Where has the Time Gone?

In the blink of an eye, the Yankees have gone up 3 games to 1 in the 105th installment of the World Series. Almost forgotten is Cliff Lee's complete game gem in Game 1, with the Phillies now finding themselves relying on Lee again in Game 5 to secure a trip back to New York for potential Games 6 and 7.

In Game 3, it looked as though Cole Hamels had settled in nicely with the aid of an early 3-0 Phillies lead, however it would not last as Pettitte held on and Hamels unraveled. Hamels has done an about face from this year over last, and his miserable season continued on Halloween night with a homer from Rodriguez which opened the floodgates, resulting in a 8-5 Yankee win. Last night in Game 4, the Phillies played catchup all night against the Yankees, tieing Yankee leads of 2-0 and 4-2. After Utley hit a solo shot late to make it 4-3 and chase starter CC Sabathia, Chamberlain surrendered a game-tying home run to Pedro Feliz. In a bizarre ninth in which Lidge retired the first two batters, Johnny Damon lined a single to left and stole 2nd and 3rd on the same play as the Phillies played their infield to a right shift, which allowed Damon to continue to third as 3rd baseman Pedro Feliz received the throw to 2nd. Lidge didn't cover 3rd and Damon made it easily to score the go-ahead run on a Rodriguez double. Posada would drive two more in to bring the Yankees a commanding 3-run lead that Mariano Rivera would not relinquish for a 7-4 win.

No brainer, but Philly really needed this one, especially with Lee (full rest 4 days) pitching Game 5 against an A.J. Burnett on short rest (3 days) with a weaker hitting Molina probably going to be his battery mate. The cards would appear stacked against the Yankees tonight, however with a 3-1 series lead and two potential remaining games in New York, the Yankees are 1 win from World Championship #27.