November 3, 2009

Put those parade plans on hold, New York. The Phillies are coming back.

Desperate to hang onto their World Series title and hounded by the Yankees to the very last swing, Philadelphia somehow held on for an 8-6 win Monday night in Game 5.

Chase Utley hit two home runs to raise his Series total to a record-tying five, Cliff Lee won again, and Philadelphia cut its deficit to 3-2.

Ahead 8-2, the Phillies watched New York score three times in the eighth inning and put its first two batters on in the ninth. Derek Jeter grounded into a run-scoring double play, but the fans on their feet couldn't exhale until Mark Teixeira struck out as the tying run.

Whew!

Game 6 will be played Wednesday at Yankee Stadium, with New York's Andy Pettite going on short rest against Pedro Martinez. The Series hasn't gone this far since 2003.

"We had to do it," Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins said. "We didn't have a choice. It was either go home and watch football and college basketball or extend the season."

Utley hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the first inning off A.J. Burnett and added a solo shot in the seventh to join Reggie Jackson as the only players to hit five home runs in a single World Series.

"It's pretty cool," Utley said. "It's pretty surreal. I'm glad we got the win tonight. We're going back to Yankee Stadium."

Philadelphia replicated its winning formula from the opener, when Utley hit two solo homers and Lee pitched a six-hitter. Former Mariner Raul Ibanez set off fireworks from the Liberty Bell one last time, adding a second solo shot in the seventh off Phil Coke that made it 8-2.

Lee gave up a run-scoring single to Alex Rodriguez in the first inning but settled in until A-Rod chased him with a two-run double in the eighth.

Robinson Cano drove in Rodriguez with a sacrifice fly that cut the deficit to 8-5, and New York gave Philadelphia a scare when Jorge Posada doubled and Hideki Matsui singled at the start of the ninth against Ryan Madson.

Jeter hit into the double play, Johnny Damon singled, and Madson struck out the slumping Teixeira for the save.

"We have a lot of heart on this team," Utley said.

The Yankees, who have won the Series all eight previous times they took a 3-1 lead, will try to close out title No. 27 at home.

"If we would have pitched today, we probably would have won," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "That's the bottom line."

Pitching on short rest didn't work well for Burnett, who had been 4-0 previously in his career on three days' off and kept the Phillies off balance in Game 2. He kept falling behind batters and allowed six runs, four hits and four walks in two-plus innings, his shortest start since his first outing in 2007.

Philadelphia ended baseball's record streak of five straight Series that ended in sweeps or five games, ensuring at least one more telecast in a matchup between big-market teams that has revived baseball's ratings.

The Phillies still face a tall task: The Yankees lost three in a row just twice after the All-Star break and dropped consecutive home games only once after mid-June