The LoHud Yankees Blog

UPDATE, 10:08 p.m.: It’s 7-1 Yankees with Pettitte – hearing his named chanted as he goes into the wind – pitching to Chase Utley. Let’s get a new thread going.

UPDATE, 10:11 p.m.: Girardi is staying with Pettitte after Ryan Howard hits a first-row homer. It’s 7-3 now.

UPDATE, 10:25 p.m.: Nice moment for Pettitte when he came out of the game. Big ovation, tip of the cap and a wave. If this is it for Pettitte, it’s a hell of a way to go out. He could be the clinching pitcher for this year’s AL East title, ALDS, ALCS and World Series. Not bad.

UPDATE, 10:39 p.m.: Think Joba is amped up? He just threw one that one-hopped the backstop.

UPDATE, 10:45 p.m.: Damaso Marte has been great since the first round but there’s no spot bigger than this one. Two on, two out, Utley up with one swing to make it a one-run game.

UPDATE 10:51 p.m.: Huge, huge strikeout for Marte. Six outs to go. Marte for Howard and then go to Mo?

UPDATE, 10:53 p.m.: Best “God Bless America” of the year from Kelli O’Hara. The 50,315 fans here loved it.

UPDATE, 11:15 p.m.: Nothing better than the bars of “Enter Sandman” on a cold night with flashbulbs popping everywhere. I’ve got to finish up about 15 things for the newspaper but don’t go anywhere. The Yankees are five outs away.

UPDATE, 8:55 p.m.: There’s one out in the third with Jeter on and Damon up. It’s 2-1 Yankees and we’re into our second thread of the night. Long way to go yet.

UPDATE, 9 p.m.: So this is kind of a moment, no? Bases loaded, one out, A-Rod up against Pedro and a big hit putting the Yankees in command as they try to win the World Series? Two years ago I would have said GIDP no doubt. This year? Double down the line. Just a feeling.

UPDATE, 9:04 p.m.: That’s Cowboy Joe West with the call on strike three. Looked off the plate to me but too close to let go at 1-and-2. Now it’s up to Hideki.

UPDATE, 9:07 p.m.: Matsui was asked earlier in this series if he was Pedro’s “daddy” (seriously, someone asked him that) and Matsui laughed and said, “I can’t answer that question.” At this point, you wouldn’t bet against it – he owns him. Two more RBI gives him six for the World Series. If Mo doesn’t save it, he’s your lock MVP right now, I’d say. Shoot, even if Mo does save it …

UPDATE, 9:10 p.m.: Jerry Hairston is in left field for the Yankees right now. No word yet on what’s up with Damon.

UPDATE, 9:14 p.m.: A lot of offspeed pitches to Utley, and Pettitte gets the strikeout. Utley has come up in two spots where you’d hate to walk him — runner at first base in the first inning, leading off the fourth — and Pettitte has gotten him both times.

UPDATE, 9:17 p.m.: Strained right calf for Johnny Damon.

UPDATE, 9:25 p.m.: Pettitte was absolutely livid with Joe West as he walked off the mound. He had his glove up to his face for most of it so you couldn’t read lips but he was clearly upset with the strike zone, to the point that Joe Girardi had to run out and bring him back to the dugout. West is a veteran and wouldn’t toss a starter in the World Series, but yelling at the ump sure isn’t going to help you in the strike zone.

UPDATE, 9:27 p.m.: Durbin warming for the Phillies.

UPDATE, 9:42 p.m.: Huge double play for Pettitte, the ball going all the way around the horn to get the speedy Rollins. Pettitte is at 75 pitches. Pedro is out – replaced by Durbin – after throwing 77.

UPDATE, 9:49 p.m.: Not so much with Chad Durbin. That’s Tex’s third hit of the World Series and it’s a big one, now 5-1 Yankees. They’re six outs from Mariano.

UPDATE, 9:57 p.m.: Matsui is turning Game 6 into his personal playground – and about the best negotiating tool a free agent could ever want. That’s six RBI tonight, eight in the Series. Amazing.

UPDATE, 9:59 p.m.: Matsui’s six RBI ties a major-league record held by Bobby Richardson, who set it in Game 3 of the 1960 World Series. He might yet break it – he’ll be up again.

YANKEES
Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Hideki Matsui DH
Jorge Posada C
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Brett Gardner CF

Pitching: LHP Andy Pettitte (3-0, 3.24 ERA in postseason)

PHILLIES
Jimmy Rollins SS
Shane Victorino CF
Chase Utley 2B
Ryan Howard 1B
Jayson Werth RF
Raul Ibanez DH
Pedro Feliz 3B
Ben Francisco LF
Carlos Ruiz C

Pitching: RHP Pedro Martinez (0-1, 2.08 ERA in postseason)

TIME/TV: 7:57 p.m., FOX

WEATHER: Cloudy and cold, with temperatures in the low 40s and maybe even dropping into the 30s. Light winds. Rain unlikely until after midnight, if at all. Check out the full forecast here.

STATE OF THE STRIPES: The Yankees remain one win away from their 27th World Series title after the Phillies stayed alive with a win in Game 5. This is the first World Series to go six games since 2003 when … well, you know. Of the 60 previous teams that have held 3-2 leads in the World Series, 40 have gone on to win the series but only 23 did it in Game 6.

BATTER VS. PITCHER: Here are the Phillies vs. Andy Pettitte. And here are the Yankees vs. Pedro Martinez.

HISTORY LESSON: This is only the second time in World Series history that a team has led 3-2 in the World Series after losing Game 1 and winning Game 2 at home, then winning Games 3 and 4 and losing Game 5 on the road. The only other team to do it was the 1935 Tigers, who – take a guess – beat the Cubs in Game 6 at home to win the World Series.

TEAM OF THE DECADE?: If the Yankees win this World Series, they will have won two titles, been to the World Series two other times, lost in the ALCS once, lost in the first round four times and missed the playoffs once during the 2000′s. The Red Sox, who would be the closest competitor, will have won two titles, lost in the ALCS twice, lost in the first round twice and missed the playoffs four times.

SHORT TRACK RECORD: Andy Pettitte starts on three days rest tonight after allowing four runs in six innings and throwing 103 pitches in Game 3. Pettitte has made four previous postseason starts on three days rest, with varying success. They are:

• 2003 World Series: 8 1/3 innings, 1 R (unearned), 6 H; he threw 92 pitches in last start.
• 2000 ALDS: 3 2/3 IP, 5 R, 10 H; he threw 108 pitches in last start.
• 1997 ALDS: 6 2/3 IP, 4 R, 6 H; he pitched five innings in last start (pitch count unavailable)
• 1996 ALCS: 8 2/3 IP, 2 R, 3 H; he threw 121 pitches in last start

CHASE HIM AWAY: A reporter jokingly asked Johnny Damon the other day about kidnapping Chase Utely, and Damon paused, as if considering the idea. Maybe the Yankees should. Utley has hit five home runs during the World Series, four of which have come off left-handed pitchers (three off CC Sabathia, one off Phil Coke). Overall, Utley is 4-for-7 with a double, 3 homers, and 6 RBI in the last two games.

BIG AL: Alex Rodriguez has 18 RBI during the playoffs, fourth most all-time in any given postseason behind the record of 19, which is held by Sandy Alomar Jr., Scott Spiezio and David Ortiz. Of those 18 RBI, eight have tied the game or put the Yankees ahead.

HOT YANKS: Johnny Damon is 6-for-9 with four runs scored in the last two games after going 2-for-12 in the first three. Jorge Posada has a hit in all five World Series games and each of his last eight World Series games going back to 2003. Hideki Matsui, who returns to the lineup tonight, is 5-of-his-last-9 with two home runs.

RANDOM QUESTION OF THE DAY?: What kind of pie would you want slammed in your face if you had the World Series-winning walkoff? (Official LoHud Blogger answer: Chocolate Cream Pie)

IF THERE WERE WALK-TO-THE-PLATE-MUSIC IN REAL LIFE, TODAY’S WOULD BE: (Boys are) Back in Town by The BusBoys (check out this clip if you don’t know it – and who doesn’t love the movie “48 Hours”?)

Back with more later. Joe Girardi is scheduled to be in the interview room at 3:45 p.m.

UPDATE, 4:52 p.m.: Welcome to Game 6 everyone. Chad here with some notes from Girardi’s session with the beat writers.

• Mariano Rivera is available for two innings. In theory, that’s the max, but Girardi wouldn’t completely rule out more. If the Yankees have a lead in the eighth – any lead — is Rivera going to pitch? “Probably,” Girardi said.

• David Robertson gets ready faster than Alfredo Aceves, that’s part of the reason Robertson pitched before Aceves in Game 5. He didn’t got to Chad Gaudin because he wanted Gaudin still available if the Yankees tied the game it went extras.

• The Yankees gave serious consideration to starting Jerry Hairston Jr. in right field, but they gave no thought to starting him in center. Hairston is the backup center fielder, but Brett Gardner’s defense made him an obvious choice, Girardi said.

• Not that we needed confirmation, but it was asked anyway. Is CC Sabathia the Game 7 starter? “I’ll see how he feels today,” Girardi said. “But it’s probably a pretty good bet.”

Here’s the Girardi audio from the press conference.

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UPDATE, 4:54 p.m.: Scott Brosius is throwing out the first pitch. Bernie Williams has also thrown one this postseason, as have David Cone, Paul O’Neill and Tino Martinez. Does it make Girardi feel old to have his former teammates throwing out first pitches?

“I don’t need those guys to make me feel old,” he said.

UPDATE, 5:06 p.m.: Cloud cover has made the temp here drop quickly. It’s going to be chilly tonight. Yanks are hitting on the field now and everyone is wearing sweatshirts or fleeces.

UPDATE, 5:36 p.m.: The Yankees have Mariano Rivera. The Phillies have … um … something else. Here’s Charlie Manuel on the Phillies’ ninth inning situation: “I definitely will be talking to (pitching coach Rich) Dubee a lot. It’s kind of how we feel, and it even could be kind of like the match-ups that we like.”

Translation: I have no earthly idea.

UPDATE, 6:24 p.m.: Before every home playoff game, I believe the Yankees have shown on the video board the same YES segment about all the walk-off wins. It’s a nice montage, but it was clearly put together before Juan Miranda added his name to the list. The video segment ends after walk-off number 14, the Francisco Cervelli game-winner. No mention of Miranda. The LoHud blog hasn’t forgotten you Juan!

UPDATE, 7:32 p.m.: Jorge Posada is doing a few sprints in the outfield by himself. Looks like he’s waiting for Pettitte to come on out and start loosening up. The Yankees are playing their highlight montage set to the Black-Eye Peas song “I Gotta Feeling” — something which every team, everywhere, probably has done. The Phillies had one, too. The Yankees did a nice job with theirs.

UPDATE, 7:48 p.m.: Mary J. did the “extended remix” of the national anthem. That was long. Pretty good, though.

UPDATE, 7:50 p.m.: My favorite part of the pre-game: The starting pitcher (in this case, Pettitte), making the long walk from the bullpen in to the dugout. Pitching coach by his side but usually no conversation. Just alone with his thoughts before he goes to work. Gives me chills each time.

UPDATE, 7:58 p.m.: And we’re off. It’s cloudy and 47 degrees at first pitch. Big night in the Bronx tonight. Enjoy the game everybody.

UPDATE, 8:02 p.m.: How about that? Not only did Utley not hit a home run, he made two outs in one at-bat. Guess that’s better than hitting him and giving him first base for free.

UPDATE, 8:08 p.m.: So far, so good on the crowd. We’ve already got a “Who’s your Daddy?” chant and everyone started screaming as soon as Jeter made contact (which led to the “ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh” in unison when Francisco made the catch. The “ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh” is one of my favorite parts of covering pro sports. No one does an “ohhhhhhhhhhhhh” like Yankee Stadium.)

UPDATE, 8:20 p.m.: Pettitte has some nice break on the few curveballs I’ve seen so far. That’s a good sign.

UPDATE, 8:21 p.m.: Blog jinx? That was his first wild pitch.

UPDATE, 8:27 p.m.: Nothing close for Alex. Can’t blame Martinez for that.

UPDATE, 8:34 p.m.: Now the “Who’s Your Daddy?” chants are coming hard and fast, after Matsui goes deep again. That’s his third homer of the World Series and second off Pedro. Great at-bat, too – eight pitches. It’s 2-0 Yankees.

UPDATE, 8:37 p.m.: Matsui has three homers in his last six ABs. Could a guy who didn’t start three games of the series be the MVP?

UPDATE, 8:45 p.m.: That was a good break and a bad break for the Yankees: Good in that if Ruiz hits that to any other part of the park, it’s a home run. Bad in that it hit the top of the Dunkin’ Donuts sign and bounced away from Gardner, allowing Ruiz to reach third instead of stopping at second. Either way, it leads to a sac fly from Rollins and it’s 2-1.

UPDATE, 8:53 p.m.: Good job by second base ump Jeff Nelson seeing Victorino short-hopped that. Victorino started back on the ball and couldn’t recover. Looked like maybe he lost it for a moment and found it too late.

Former Yankee and current YES Network analyst John Flaherty has agreed to break down the pitching match-up for every Yankees postseason game exclusively on the LoHud Yankees blog. Be sure to check him out on the pre- and post-game show on YES today. Here’s his take on the Game 6 starters:

YANKEES: LHP Andy Pettitte

WHAT DOES HE THROW? “Cut-fastball, sinking fastball, change-up, curveball”

BREAKDOWN: “I have to say I’m concerned about short rest with Andy, especially at his age and for a guy who had a shoulder problem near the end of the season. Then again, I was not concerned about it with A.J. and he didn’t get the job done, so there is a big element of unknown there. I think the key for Andy tonight is going to be location – you hear all the time pitchers talk about how they had good stuff but couldn’t locate it, and tonight I think it’s sort of the opposite; Andy may not have has sharpest breaking ball or his velocity, but if he can locate it effectively, he’ll do well. One thing I noticed his last time out was that his delivery was more ‘spread out’ than I’d seen it in the past, and from the back camera you could really see his arm drop; he needs to stay on top of it tonight and do his best to keep that mechanic smooth.”

——-

PHILLIES: RHP Pedro Martinez

WHAT DOES HE THROW? “Fastball, curveball, change-up”

BREAKDOWN: “I’ve heard some people talk about how Pedro had tons of extra rest before his Game 2 start and obviously he only has the regular rest this time, but I don’t think that will be a factor. It looked to me like he was pitching at about 70 % in Game 2 and kept plenty in reserve to dial it up at a few crucial moments during the game. I don’t see why he wouldn’t be effective again if he keeps mixing his pitches – he really had the Yankees off balance and you could see that not having his old velocity didn’t matter. The one thing I noticed that the Yankees may be able to exploit is his ‘slurve.’ It’s not really a slider, not really a curve and it’s not a hard breaking pitch, so he’s got to be very careful with it. It’s more of a rolling pitch and it was what Matsui took him deep on. If he misses with that, they can make him pay.”

——-

EDGE: “In terms of only starting pitching, I’d say I have less concern about Pedro than I do about Andy, but the truth is that I don’t see the starters deciding this game. This is going to be a bullpen game tonight, and from that perspective, you have to like the Yankees pen over the Phillies pen. I think both starters will get the game to the bullpens with the score close, and we’ll see what happens from there.”

The Yankees had an odd scheduling glitch earlier this season when they played nine straight games in National League parks. During that stretch, Hideki Matsui barely played at all. One would imagine those 11 days felt like nothing compared to Matsui having to be on the bench for the last three.

But now that the World Series has shifted back to the Bronx, the Yankees DH will return to the lineup – one of the Yankees few hitters who is swinging a hot bat. Matsui is hitting .308 with three home runs and seven RBI this postseason, and is 5-for-his-last-9 with two homers.

Most importantly for tonight, he’s had good success against Pedro Martinez in the postseason. In 2003, he doubled off him three times in the ALCS – including the famous one in the seventh inning – and in Game 2 of this series he hit the tie-breaking home run.

There were several reports about Matsui arriving slightly late to the Stadium before Game 2 because of traffic. Japanese media have said that, in the past, Matsui has often atoned for being late by hitting home runs – so they weren’t surprised that he did it again in Game 2.

What do you guys think – tons of traffic on the Deegan this afternoon?

There has been a lot of talk about how the new Yankee Stadium sounds in comparison to the old one. That’s natural – the new Stadium has been compared to the old one in just about everything. Most of the time, the new Stadium wins handily. Just not necessarily in volume.

Normally I don’t get too wound up in the whole “it’s not the same as it was across the street” concept, particularly as it pertains to how loud the crowd is but tonight is one of the few nights where I’ll pay attention. The general consensus is that Game 6′s and Game 7′s are the games where the most “true fans” show up and the corporate crowd is the smallest. Why? Because corporations who are taking clients to games or using them as business opportunities usually go to games early in the series since they are guaranteed to happen. Game 6 or Game 7 doesn’t happen every series – you can’t bank on taking a client to one of those ahead of time.

Because of that, one would think tonight’s crowd – even with ticket prices that would certainly burn a hole in every pocket I’ve got – will be as heated as any this Stadium has seen. Pumped. Juiced. Loud. At least it should be. The real fans will be in the house.

“We love playing at home,” Johnny Damon said the other day, “because we know that there is nowhere in the world that has fans who care as much as these guys.”

Andy Pettitte will take the ball on short rest tonight in the Bronx as the Yankees look to cash in their second opportunity at clinching the World Series. Josh Thomson has the story.

The pitching on both sides has started to fall apart, especially in the bullpens, Rick Carpiniello writes.

Mark Teixeira has been struggling, but is determined not to let negativity creep in, Chad Jennings writes.

And Joe Girardi conceded that he’ll turn to Mariano Rivera for whatever is needed at this point, with Rivera he could even go three innings if the situation required it. The notebook also has items on Shane Victorino, Brett Gardner and the Yankees lineup.

Sorry for the tech glitch on the game post that went up for a few minutes. Not sure how that happened but don’t worry – no game tonight. We’ll have all the usuals tomorrow, including Flash Points and the game post at a more standard time.

Anyway, the Yankees just announced that Mary J. Blige will be singing the national anthem before Game 6. Great voice. Nice choice.

For those coming to the Stadium, here’s tomorrow’s schedule of events:

4:50 p.m. – 5:50 p.m. Yankees Hit
5:00 p.m. Gates Open to the Public
5:00 p.m. Phillies Manager Charlie Manuel available in the interview room
5:50 p.m. – 6:50 p.m. Phillies Hit
7:35 p.m. Lineups Announced
7:45 p.m. Presentation of Colors: United States Coast Guard Color Guard
7:46 p.m. National Anthem: Mary J. Blige
7:49 p.m. Ceremonial First Pitch
7:51 p.m. Game Ball Delivered to Mound – Boys and Girls Clubs of America
7:52 p.m. Umpires and Managers to Home Plate
7:55 p.m. Yankees Take the Field
7:57 p.m. First Pitch

The Yankees are on the field, loosening for one or two more games at Yankee Stadium. They’re all here, and all say they are emboldened by taking the field tomorrow night behind Andy Pettitte — even on short rest.

A great deal of Joe Girardi’s press conference today dealt with Pettitte. The 37-year-old last started on short rest in 2006, when he made three starts on three days of rest. Before that? 2001, or when he was in his 20s.

In fact, Pettitte last started on normal rest on Sept. 5. He has made every start the last two months on five days rest or more. Still, Girardi has faith in baseball’s winningest postseason pitcher. He tried to identify why Pettitte can pitch well on three days rest, and you can hear his explanation in the audio file:

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Here are a few other notes:

• Girardi expressed a willingness to pitch Mariano Rivera multiple innings in Game 6. “Hopefully we don’t need it, but whatever I have to do, whatever it takes to win the game,” Rivera said. “It’s a big game for us tomorrow and I have to be ready for it.” Rivera also said he thought he was capable of pitching multiple innings in both Game 6 and 7 if need be.

• Girardi also added no insight into who will play right field tomorrow. He said the coaches hadn’t looked at tomorrow’s lineup yet. Of course, Jerry Hairston Jr. started there last time the club faced Pedro Martinez, Game 2, but Hairston (10 for 27 lifetime vs. Pedro) told me he has received no indication either way. Nick Swisher (0 for 2) and Eric Hinske (8 for 30, HR, 7 RBI) are the other options. “I’m always prepared to play,” Hairston said.

• Brett Gardner said he jarred his lower back when he slammed into the wall during Game 5. He momentarily lost his breath but said he feels perfectly fine now. When Swisher met him in center after the fall last night, he changed the mood. “I thought I was going to die for about three or four seconds,” Gardner said. “Then I felt like I was fine. By the time Swisher got over there he was joking with me, saying I just wanted to get on TV. That lifted my spirits a little bit.”

• CC Sabathia said he felt strong already and would be ready for a Game 7. He again repeated that extra rest down the stretch has left him in solid position to pitch every fourth day. “I’ll be ready,” he said.

• Pettitte will talk in about 15 minutes (the schedule changed). I’ll have audio from him in a bit.

UPDATE, 5:10 p.m.: Pettitte talked for about 10 minutes. He obviously focused on pitching on short rest and trying to close out another series. “Man, I don’t remember the last time I pitched on short rest,” Pettitte said.

Here’s the full audio:

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Also, I made a mistake earlier. Before ’06, Pettitte last pitched on short rest in Game 2 of the 2003 World Series. He was terrific, pitching 8 2/3 innings of one-run ball to beat the Marlins 6-1. Pettitte didn’t allow an earned run and surrendered just six hits. Here’s the game.

So here we are, back at Yankee Stadium on the eve of Game 6. The Yankees will workout at 4 and the Phillies will take the day off. Joe Girardi and Andy Pettitte will speak shortly. Charlie Manuel and Pedro will talk in the 5 o’clock hour.

Among the questions to be answered:

- How will Pettitte pitch on short rest?
- How long can Rivera go?
- Can Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira find it?
- Who will start in right?

We will have more on this and more shortly.