Phillies News

Phils exercise Lee's option; Feliz may go
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November 7
Florida Today
 
"With their first move of the offseason, the Phillies did what was expected: They exercised their $9 million option on ace left-hander Cliff Lee's contract for 2010. That was the easy part. Now, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. has more difficult decisions to make, namely whether to stick with third baseman Pedro Feliz. The Phillies have until Monday to pick up their $5.5 million option on Feliz's contract. "He had a solid year for us," Amaro said Friday. "I like the man personally. He's a great person and a great teammate. But I also believe in trying to improve the club, and sometimes change can be for the better." A year ago, Amaro said he was leery of leaving the lineup unchanged from ..."
Phillies turn Myers loose
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November 7
Camden Courier-Post
 
"In eight seasons with the Phillies, Brett Myers made three Opening Day starts and closed the game that clinched the 2007 division title. He was charged with -- and later cleared of -- assaulting his wife in 2006. He was sent to the minors in 2008, and in 2009 he made a speedy recovery from hip surgery that could've ended his season. At no time did Myers pause to be boring. And now, he's gone. General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. informed Myers on Friday that the Phillies will not re-sign him. Myers' agent, Craig Landis, said the 29-year-old right-hander was braced for the news and planned to file for free agency before returning to his Jacksonville, Fla., home. "They told him they don't have ..."
Phillies' Lidge might need minor elbow surgery
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November 7
Philadelphia Inquirer
 
"Phillies closer Brad Lidge could face arthroscopic surgery on his pitching elbow, where he experienced occasional pain during the season that the team thinks could be caused by loose bone fragments. Lidge was scheduled to see team Dr. Michael Ciccotti yesterday, where he was expected to receive a more definitive prognosis. If the Phillies' hypothesis is confirmed, Lidge likely would have arthroscopic surgery either to shave down a bone spur or remove any bony fragments that have broken off and are causing irritation. Such a procedure would not jeopardize Lidge's availability for spring training, said Rex Gary, his Philadelphia-based agent. Gary said that Lidge had felt discomfort for "a ..."
Series crew good until end
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November 7
Buffalo News
 columnist Alan Pergament
"One of the reasons that I've never been a big fan of Fox play-by-play man Joe Buck is that he rarely says anything memorable after the final out in a World Series. And that held true Wednesday night after the New York Yankees beat Philadelphia, 7-3, to win in six games. "The Yankees are back on top," Buck said. "World champions for the 27th time." That wasn't as clever as The Buffalo News headline Thursday — "On top of the heap" — which played off the lyrics of the classic song, "New York, New York." That said, Buck and analyst Tim McCarver had an excellent series. They saw just about everything almost instantly during the six games and talked about every possible story line except one. ..."
Life goes on: Gloom now, but Phils' future still bright
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November 6
Los Angeles Times
 columnist Phil Sheridan
"Five postseason series in a row had ended with the Phillies spraying champagne in clubhouses from Milwaukee to Los Angeles to Denver to South Philadelphia. The ritual of donning swim goggles and dumping buckets of ice and water on teammates' heads, a novelty in 2008, had become almost routine by the time the Phillies won their second consecutive pennant. So it felt very strange to step into the quiet of the visiting clubhouse at Yankee Stadium as Wednesday night slipped into Thursday morning. A knot of reporters had gathered around Cliff Lee, who had given the Phillies hope with two stellar pitching performances against the Yankees. Scott Eyre and Brett Myers were telling a couple of beat ..."
Phils expect to be back
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November 6
Camden Courier-Post
 
"Brad Lidge wanted to watch. Usually, Lidge is the one on the mound when the clinching out is recorded. He's the one who must brace himself for his charging teammates, the one at the center of the pile of humanity, which precedes the presentation of a championship trophy, which precedes the spraying of champagne. So, this time, he wanted to see it all from other side. After Shane Victorino rolled a grounder to second base for the last out of the World Series Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium, Lidge made certain to pause on the top step of the Phillies' dugout, take a long look out at the field and watch as the Yankees reveled in the 27th world championship in their history. "It makes you ..."
Next year, Phillies could use help from ace, closer
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November 6
Camden Courier-Post
 columnist Martin Frank
"Shane Victorino was making the long, lonely jog back to the dugout after grounding out to second base for the final out of the World Series as the Yankees were celebrating in a mass of humanity near the pitcher's mound. Victorino couldn't help but turn his head to watch as he went by. It was only seconds after the Phillies' 7-3 loss in Game 6 Wednesday night. Yet Victorino was thinking about the Phillies' celebration in 2008 when they won the World Series. And he was thinking about the dejection the Tampa Bay Rays must have felt while the Phillies celebrated. "I can feel what [Eric] Hinske felt last year," Victorino said about the Rays player who made the final out. "I guess I'll be ..."
Myers hopes to stay with Phils
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November 6
Camden Courier-Post
 
"Brett Myers stood beside his locker late Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium and expressed confidence that the Phillies would return to the World Series next season. He couldn't be as certain about his own future. Having completed the final season of a three-year, $25.75 million contract, Myers is expected to become a free agent during the 15-day filing period that began Thursday. He has spent his entire eight-year career with the Phillies, but unless he's willing to accept a short-term, low-salary contract, he may have to move on. "We've got a great team here, so hopefully I can be part of this again next year," said Myers, a 29-year-old right-hander. "But that's a decision for (general ..."
5 questions for the Phillies to ponder
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November 6
Philadelphia Daily News
 
"EVEN BEFORE the Phillies' season ended with a 7-3 loss in Game 6 of the World Series, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. and his front-office team had held preliminary discussions about some of the decisions they will have to make and strategies they will attempt to employ during the offseason.Yesterday, after the team returned from New York City aboard an Amtrak train, that work began in earnest. The free-agent signing period begins on Nov. 20. Until then, the Phillies can negotiate with and re-sign their own free agents, as well as have nonspecific discussions with the agents of free agents across the major leagues.Amaro is scheduled to meet the media today at Citizens Bank Park. Until ..."
Bullpen not nearly as mighty as Phillies needed it to be
Comment
November 6
Philadelphia Daily News
 columnist Frank Seravalli
"Huddled up inside the enclosed Ritz-Carlton of bullpens in leftfield at Yankee Stadium, the Phillies' relievers would have stayed there all night - protected from the cold, harsh, pressure-cooker environment - if they could. Given their struggles this season and this World Series, the quiet bullpen was a sort-of shielding bubble. In Game 6 - with the season on the line for the second game in a row - that bubble popped early. Like a window that bursts inside a pressurized cabin, when J.A. Happ opened the door to the outside world at Yankee Stadium to warm up in just the third inning, the gaping hole sucked everyone out with him. In all, the Phillies used five relief pitchers to try to stop ..."
Pedro's dream season with Phillies falls short
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November 6
Philadelphia Daily News
 
"It was early in the summer and Pedro Martinez was home in the Dominican Republic. For the first time since he was a kid, it was baseball season, and Martinez was not surrounded by a group of teammates or being cheered/jeered by a stadium full of fans. It was a little lonely, but Martinez wasn't coming back to the majors unless the situation (i.e., money) was right and there was an opportunity to win. He got both when he signed with the Phillies in July: a prorated $2 million deal and a team that was defending its championship. Martinez helped the Phillies get to the postseason, but last night, his 38-year-old right arm managed only four innings as the Phillies' season came to a crashing ..."
Phillies should start building for next year, starting with acquiring Halladay
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November 6
Philadelphia Daily News
 columnist Rich Hofmann
"AFTER THE STING wears off and everybody gets a couple of nights' sleep, the quiet pride in the accomplishment of making it to a second consecutive World Series will envelop Phillies' general manager Ruben Amaro Jr., and all of them. They should be given some time to enjoy it, too - especially the general manager who is just finishing his first season. Because it was Amaro who brought Raul Ibanez here and it was Amaro who brought Cliff Lee here. They were huge moves, winning moves, and the general manager deserves an opportunity to bask in the whole thing for a good little while. OK, time's up. What to do to this roster for the 2010 season is the subject that will consume Phillies fans for ..."
It's About the Money, and the Yanks Have a Lot
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November 6
New York Times
 columnist William C. Rhoden
"Jimmy Rollins stood in the middle of the losing clubhouse early Thursday morning, speaking with reporters and putting the best face possible on the Philadelphia Phillies' four-games-to-two World Series loss to the Yankees. "They were the better team this series," he said. "Do I think we're the better team? I really do. They showed a lot of heart. A lot of grit. We drilled a couple of guys, no one backed down and they executed." Rollins, the Phillies' shortstop, set the tone before the Series when he predicted that the Phillies would beat the Yankees in five or six games. After the Yankees won Game 6, Derek Jeter told some reporters that Rollins's prediction had served as motivation."
Phillies Ponder Missed Chances Even as They Look to Next Year
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November 6
New York Times
 
"After making the last out in the World Series, Shane Victorino did not run back to the Phillies' dugout. He did not jog, either. He lingered, ever so briefly, making sure to give the Yankees' celebration a good, hard stare as he walked past the mound. "That was a long walk," Victorino said, and one that he expected to relive all off-season. A memory will linger for Victorino just as one did in 2007, when he made the last out in the Phillies' division series loss to Colorado, and last October, when his triumphant leap onto his teammates - arms outstretched, mouth agape - became an enduring image of Philadelphia's first title in 28 years. The afterglow of winning the title lasted until ..."
Yankees silence chatty Rollins
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November 5
New York Post
 
"In the end, Jimmy Rollins' bat couldn't keep up with his big mouth. The Phillies' veteran shortstop, so lippy when the World Series began, was awfully quiet while the Yankees were crushing Philadelphia's dream of a repeat. Last night's series-deciding 7-3 loss to the Bombers in Game 6 in The Bronx was yet another example of Rollins coming up small as the former MVP went 0-for-4 and stranded three runners to drop his Fall Classic average to .217. That's pitiful, especially for the player who had gone on "The Jay Leno Show" on the eve of the series to predict the Phillies would take the Yankees in five games, maybe six "if we're nice." Rollins had the number right, just not the team. "They ..."
Manuel decision aw-Phil
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November 5
New York Post
 
"It was not quite Grady Little, but it was close. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel left Pedro Martinez in Game 6 last night to face Hideki Matsui in the third inning despite the fact that Matsui had already homered off Martinez. And despite the fact he had left-hander J.A. Happ warmed up in the bullpen. The decision blew up on Manuel when Matsui singled to center field to score Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon and make the score 4-1. "He knows how to pitch," Manuel said. "He's got experience. I had to let him pitch to that guy. We can go down 4-1 and we can definitely rebound there. It wasn't time for me to take him out." Martinez's final line looked good, but nearly every out the Yankees hit in ..."
'Daddy' sends Pedro packin'
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November 5
New York Post
 
"How do you say "Who's Your Daddy?" in Japanese? Hideki Matsui spanked Pedro Martinez last night in the Yankees' 7-3 Game 6 victory that ended the World Series and the Phillies' hopes of repeating as champs. The 38-year old Phillies pitcher couldn't duplicate his magnificent Game 2 performance thanks in large part to Matsui, the World Series MVP, who had four of his six RBIs against Martinez. Martinez left the Phillies clubhouse before it was open to the media. Several reporters, as well as an intoxicated Yankees fan, tracked him down in a hallway underneath Yankee Stadium. "I didn't get the performance I wanted and we ended up losing the game," Martinez said. "I'm extremely proud and I ..."
Daddies get last laugh as New York Yankees pound Pedro Martinez in Game 6 of World Series
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November 5
New York Daily News
 
"Pedro Martinez quickly bolted Yankee Stadium after a 7-3 loss in Game 6 of the World Series Wednesday night. In fact, his daddies still were celebrating their 27th title on the field as Martinez exited. "I didn't get the performance I wanted and we ended up losing the game, but I'm extremely proud and I had fun and I enjoyed it," Martinez said before boarding an elevator in the basement near the visitors' clubhouse. "I don't regret anything." Martinez lost his second game of this World Series, this time with his fastball nowhere close to 90 mph. He was charged with four runs on three hits, two walks and a hit batter in four innings. The damage came on a two-run homer and two-run single by ..."
Philadelphia's Jimmy Rollins: Phillies are still better than New York Yankees
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November 5
New York Daily News
 
"Jimmy Rollins did a lot of talking before the World Series opened last week, predicting a Philadelphia triumph in five games, six at the most. Now that the Yankees have made him look ridiculous, about the only thing New Yorkers want to hear Rollins is how he'd like his crow served. "Of course we're going to win," Rollins said on Oct. 27. "If we're nice, we'll let it go six. But I'm thinking five, close it out at home." Philadelphia took him so seriously there was an ad over the weekend for Phillies World Series Champion T-shirts at Macy's in one of the city newspapers. As for eating crow? "They were the better team this series," Rollins said Wednesday night. "Do I think we're the better ..."
Howard deals with World Series struggles
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November 5
MLB.com
 
"As Ryan Howard answered questions about the forgettable World Series he had just experienced, he appeared to be every bit as cool as his bat suddenly became when pitted against the Yankees pitchers. Without the offensive prowess that Howard displayed during the second half of the regular season and during the first two rounds of the postseason, the Phillies likely would not have returned to the World Series. But as the Phillies lamented Wednesday night's 7-3, Game 6 loss to the Yankees and began venturing into the offseason, there was reason to wonder if this World Series might have been different had Howard not suddenly transformed from being a record run producer to the latest owner of ..."
Big lesson is bullpen
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November 5
San Francisco Chronicle
 columnist Ray Ratto
"All right, one of them is the money, but if you want to obsess about that, go watch a replay of the 1948 World Series. Nobody got paid then, and you can cozy up to the good old days all you want. No, the major lesson here is that for all the fretting about the Yankees' lack of a credible fourth starter, the playoffs aren't about having a fourth starter nearly as much as they are about having a bullpen. The offense is still what makes and breaks postseason series because if you can hit in the ridiculous conditions Bud Selig offers as he grinds the Series toward Game 7 on Thanksgiving Day, you win no matter what. The second most important thing is being able to get the hard outs, and the ..."
Yankees' Rivera still the ultimate closer
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November 5
Philadelphia Inquirer
 
"Yankees manager Joe Girardi called for his closer, Mariano Rivera, with five outs remaining last night. Rivera jogged from the bullpen, clutching - not wearing - his glove. The Yankee Stadium crowd, watching a collage of Rivera highlights, stood and clapped in unison as Metallica's "Enter Sandman" blasted in their ears. What the crowd sensed, as it always senses when Rivera enters, is victory nearing. Last night, that victory was seven batters away. Rivera retired five of them. Last night in Game 6 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, Rivera pitched a scoreless 12/3 innings in the 7-3 victory, essentially slamming shut the door on the already reeling Phillies. "It's ..."
Phils' Happ out of element in bullpen
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November 5
Philadelphia Inquirer
 
"J.A. Happ enjoyed a regular season that could earn him the National League rookie-of-the-year award, but his postseason was nowhere near as eventful.After the Phillies' elimination from the World Series with last night's 7-3 loss to New York at Yankee Stadium, second-guessers surely will be asking over the winter whether Happ should have been given a more prominent postseason role."Jay was put in some tough spots for a guy who was starting," Phillies pitching coach Rich Dubee said. "He is definitely a starter, and we put him in a tough spot."Happ, who was 12-4 with a 2.93 ERA during a stellar rookie season, made one postseason start. That came during the National League division series, ..."
Manuel's key decision didn't work out as hoped
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November 5
Philadelphia Inquirer
 
"With two outs in the bottom of the third inning, Charlie Manuel had a tough decision to make. Stick with struggling starter Pedro Martinez, even though the white-hot Hideki Matsui was strolling to the plate? Or bring in left-hander J.A. Happ, who was warming up in the bullpen? It was early but Martinez was laboring with his command. Plus, Matsui had driven a 3-2 pitch from Martinez deep into the right-field bleachers to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead in the second inning. Matsui also hit a home run off Martinez in Game 2 of the World Series. Manuel stuck with Martinez. Matsui ripped an 0-2 pitch into centerfield for a two-run single to give the home team a 4-1 lead. And the Yankees were on ..."
Phillies good (but not great) year ends with loss
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November 5
Philadelphia Inquirer
 columnist John Gonzales
"When the last out was recorded, Yankee Stadium shook from the energy. A deep, primal howl reverberated from the stands. It was the sound of victory, of ultimate triumph - sweet music to the locals, pure pain to Philadelphians.The Yankees won their 27th championship last night and celebrated in full view of thousands of sickeningly happy New Yorkers. It was a difficult thing to watch.Back in Philly, after the Fightin's won Game 5, I had a conversation with a stadium worker at Citizen's Bank Park. The guy is a loyal Phils fan, and he hoped they would pull off the two-game sweep in the Bronx. But he also knew it would be difficult, and he acknowledged the possibility of failure. In so doing, ..."
Howard's slump: Sudden, ill timed
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November 5
Philadelphia Inquirer
 
"Standing at his locker in the visiting clubhouse at Yankee Stadium, Ryan Howard wasn't going to offer some technical hitting explanation for why he had just struck out more times in a World Series than anybody in history."Sometimes you've got it," Howard said. "Sometimes it's not there."In his last at-bat, in the eighth inning, Howard struck out on three pitches against Yankees lefty Damaso Marte, flailing at an outside slider that wasn't close to the plate. The strikeout was Howard's 13th against the Yankees, breaking a mark set by Kansas City's Willie Wilson against the Phillies in 1980.Before Game 6, Andy Pettitte had offered his theory, basic as it was, for how Yankees pitchers had ..."
Matsui wins showdown with Martinez
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November 5
Philadelphia Inquirer
 
"Pedro Martinez brought charm, levity, appreciation and a high baseball IQ to the Phillies after they took a chance on resuscitating his Hall of Fame career by signing him in mid-July. But he didn't bring the weapons to tame Godzilla. Godzilla is the nickname Hideki Matsui brought along with him when he left Japan in 2003 and signed with the Yankees. In the Land of the Rising Sun, the 35-year-old Matsui enjoys legendary status equal to Martinez's in the Dominican Republic. Godzilla was the monster in Martinez's nightmare in Game 6 of the World Series last night at Yankee Stadium, where the Phillies season ended with a 7-3 defeat that gave the Yankees their 27th championship. The Phillies ..."
Phillies undecided on extension for Lee
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November 5
Philadelphia Inquirer
 
"The Phillies have not yet decided whether to offer a contract extension to pitcher Cliff Lee this off-season, but they have discussed the possibility internally."Clearly, it's on our minds, but we haven't made a decision if we will yet," general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said yesterday. "Naturally, you have to think about it, but we're more focused on him pitching in this series."The club holds a $9 million option on Lee for 2010, after which the 31-year-old lefthander will become a free agent - unless he and the Phillies agree on an extension between now and then.Since the Phils acquired Lee and outfielder Ben Francisco from Cleveland in July for a package of minor-league players, the ..."
Yankees earned this one
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November 5
Philadelphia Inquirer
 columnist Phil Sheridan
"The greatest 13-month stretch in Phillies history ended one night too soon for the simplest of reasons. It takes more than one pitcher and one hitter to win a World Series against a team as good and as star-kissed as the New York Yankees. The brilliance of Cool Cliff Lee and Home Run Chase Utley could get the Phillies only half the wins required to successfully defend their 2008 title. The Phillies made history last October, winning just the second title in the life of the franchise and thrilling a city that had gone a quarter-century without a championship parade. This time, they were bystanders. With the Yankees in their first season in a brand-new ballpark, their 27th World Series ..."
No shame in loss, but Phils' business unfinished
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November 5
Philadelphia Inquirer
 columnist Bob Ford
"There's nothing particularly unique or shameful about losing a World Series to the New York Yankees. It had been done 26 times before last night when the Phillies became the latest victim of the most decorated team in baseball history. That doesn't remove the sting of coming within two wins of a repeat championship, but neither the 7-3 final score nor the six-game decision is any sort of embarrassment. "They definitely deserved to win," manager Charlie Manuel said of the Yankees. "They did things right when they had to. We just didn't play as good as we can." In the short term, there are some decisions that can be picked at like the carcass of a Thanksgiving turkey along about midnight. ..."
Yankees knock Phils off throne in Game 6
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November 5
Philadelphia Inquirer
 
"It ended when Shane Victorino bounced a Mariano Rivera fastball toward second base. Robinson Cano threw him out at first, and the Phillies were no longer defending World Series champions.With their 7-3 victory last night in Game 6 at Yankee Stadium, the New York Yankees won a lengthy and interesting World Series, worthy of the teams that competed. It was the 27th title for the Yanks, and it arrived because Andy Pettitte bested Pedro Martinez in a marquee matchup, and Hideki Matsui tied a Series record by driving in six runs in one game. Matsui was named MVP of the Series.In winning a second straight National League title, the resilient Phils overcame many problems in 2009: Their ace and ..."
In this Series, the Phillies didn't play like champions
Comment
November 5
Philadelphia Inquirer
 columnist Phil Sheridan
"The greatest 13-month stretch in Phillies history ended one night too soon for the simplest of reasons.It takes more than one pitcher and one hitter to win a World Series against a team as good and as star-kissed as the New York Yankees. The brilliance of Cool Cliff Lee and Home Run Chase Utley could get the Phillies only half the wins required to successfully defend their 2008 title.The Phillies made history last October, winning just the second title in the life of the franchise and thrilling a city that had gone a quarter-century without a championship parade. This time, they were bystanders. With the Yankees in their first season in a brand-new ballpark, their 27th World Series victory ..."
Despite World Series heartbreaker, Phillies fans remain faithful
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November 5
Philadelphia Daily News
 
"The look on Sean McKinney's face told you everything you needed to know about what was going on in the top of the ninth inning in last night's World Series Game 6 at Yankee Stadium.McKinney, president of Mitchell"
Scrappy Phillies come up short in World Series
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November 5
Philadelphia Daily News
 columnist Sam Donnellon
"On Sept. 24, 2004, Pedro Martinez walked off the Fenway Park mound in the eighth inning a cauldron of frustration. His Red Sox teammates had just tied the game at 4, had just built some momentum in a key game todecide the American League East Division.Hideki Matsui stepped to the plate.A home run and a 6-4 loss later, Martinez sat on apodium andissued thisfamous quote: "They didn't beat my team. They beat me. They're that good right now. They're that hot. I just tip my hat and call the Yankees mydaddy."What Martinez missed then, what everybody missed when Boston manager Grady Little left him in too long in a Game 7 loss to the Yankees in the American League Championship Series the year ..."
Reggie Jackson sings Utley's praises
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November 5
Philadelphia Daily News
 
"MR. OCTOBER finally met Mr. November, and he was very impressed.Reggie Jackson, who cemented his legend by hitting .357 in 27 World Series games when the World Series used to be played in October, sought out ChaseUtley before last night's game. He had to duck through Shane Victorino and around Carlos Ruiz, but he eventually caught up to the Phillies second baseman. The chat was brief, but eventually could be like those old pictures of Babe Ruth and Ted Williams standing together - give or take a few hundred homers.Jackson, the Cheltenham High grad who now serves as a special adviser for the Yanks, set the record for homers in a single World Series with five in 1977 against the Dodgers. ..."
Yankees pitching strikingly better than Phillies
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November 5
Philadelphia Daily News
 
"Now that it's over, now that the parade has been canceled and there is no championship left to defend, the Phillies have to be honest with themselves.Did they trip over their own shoelaces in the World Series?Or were they simply beaten by a better team?The suspicion here is that the Phillies and Yankees could keep playing from now until the BCS Championship Game and that New York would win a majority of the time.In the end, as it always seems to do, it came down to pitching. It always does at this time of the year. And the Yankees were stronger, both in the rotation and the bullpen."They outplayed us," said lefthander Cliff Lee. "They deserved it. It's hard to take, but they were better ..."
Martinez Without Magic in Finale
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November 5
New York Times
 
"In the shadow of his famed mango tree, survival skills came naturally to Pedro Martinez. His family slept on the floor of a tin-roofed house, two, sometimes three to a mattress. Instead of a bat, he would swing a broomstick. Instead of a ball, he would throw balled-up socks. Escaping poverty in the Dominican Republic as an iconic pitcher has not diminished those skills. If anything, it has heightened them. Those days are never far from his thoughts, and Martinez views himself at this stage of his career - 38 years old, finishing his 18th major-league season - more as a survivor. Savvy trumps stuff in his world, which is why this particular exit from the postseason stage was so surprising."
Yankees Win 2009 World Series
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November 5
New York Times
 
"A season of redemption came to its conclusion Wednesday night for the Yankees, who beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 7-3, in Game 6 of the 2009 World Series. The victory gave the Yankees their 27th championship, a quest nine years in the making. Hideki Matsui, who may have played his last game as a Yankee, led the offense with a record-tying night — he had a home run, a double, a single and six runs batted in — and Andy Pettitte, who also may have played his last game in pinstripes, handled the pitching chores on three days' rest. Pettitte, a veteran left-hander, threw five and two-thirds solid innings, allowing three runs on four hits. He earned his fifth World Series ring with his second ..."
Victorino intends to play in Game 6
Comment
November 4
MLB.com
 
"Phillies center fielder Shane Victorino said Monday after Game 5 of the World Series that he would be ready to play Wednesday in Game 6 at Yankee Stadium. But Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said after Victorino visited team doctors Tuesday that Victorino is day-to-day. "He'll probably get in the ballpark early tomorrow, and when he first comes in, I'll go talk to him and I'll go talk to our trainer," Manuel said. "They just said he's day-to-day, and they said he's going to have some soreness in his finger. We'll see." Yankees left-hander A.J. Burnett hit Victorino in the right index finger with a 93 mph fastball in the first inning. X-rays were negative, but Phillies general manager Ruben ..."
Phillies should have let Lee start 3
Comment
November 4
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"Four days' rest or three days' rest. Other than whether to replace umpires with cameras, managers' rotation decisions have generated the most heated debates of the World Series. The Yankees' Joe Girardi sticks with a three-man rotation and gets criticized for exposing A.J. Burnett and possibly Andy Pettitte, who'll work tonight on short rest for the first time since 2006. The Phillies' Charlie Manuel decides on a four-man rotation and gets ripped for limiting ace Cliff Lee to two starts instead of making him available for Games 1, 4 and 7. In debates, however, you can't have it both ways. In order to use only his best three starters and have his No. 1 guy, CC Sabathia, three times, Girardi ..."
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Pedro Martinez once again stands in way of New York Yankees
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November 4
New York Daily News
 
"Pedro Martinez stands between the Yankees and World Series title No. 27 when he takes the mound again tonight at the Stadium for Game 6 opposite Andy Pettitte. And the ex-Met figures even Red Sox Nation is on his side. "I know that they don't like the Yankees to win, not even in Nintendo games," Martinez said last night. "I consider myself a Bostonian as well. I've been a Montrealer, a Bostonian and a New Yorker. And somehow I might become a Philadelphian now." That it's Martinez versus the Yankees in another big spot has struck Pettitte, too. Pettitte spoke with Derek Jeter on Monday night about the remarkable nature of their intertwined history. "To come full circle, this many years ..."
With New York Yankees one win away from World Series title, Joe Girardi better be right about arms
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November 4
New York Daily News
 columnist Mike Lupica
"Joe Girardi knows the deal as well as he knows his way out to the mound. He's right about using only three starters in the postseason if the Yankees win, tonight or tomorrow night. He's right if Andy Pettitte does the job in Game 6 on three days' rest that A.J. Burnett didn't do Monday night. Or he's right if this thing plays all the way out and CC Sabathia carries everybody across the finish line. Girardi just better be right about three days' rest for these guys after being up three games to one. Because if the Yankees blow this Series, if the Phillies come all the way back, then Yankee fans are going to wonder how the Yankees could spend $206 million on baseball players and not have ..."
Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel confident in Brad Lidge
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November 4
New York Daily News
 
"As Game 6 of the World Series unfolds tonight at the Stadium, Yankee fans will be asking Philadelphia starter Pedro Martinez, "Who's your daddy?" Phillies fans will be asking manager Charlie Manuel, "Who's your closer?" In Game 4 on Sunday, the answer to the question was the expected one: Brad Lidge. He had rebounded from an abysmal regular season that included an 0-8 record, a 7.21 ERA and 11 blown saves to get his act together in the final weeks of the season and first two rounds of the playoffs. But the Bombers decimated him, tagging him for three runs to post a 7-4 win. In Game 5 Monday night, Manuel went with Ryan Madson to protect a three-run lead in the ninth inning. Apparently the ..."
Finger may point Shane Victorino to bench for Philadelphia Phillies
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November 4
New York Daily News
 
"Phillies center fielder Shane Victorino was examined by a doctor Tuesday and continues to experience soreness with the right index finger that A.J. Burnett plunked in the first inning of Game 5 Monday night. X-rays revealed a bone bruise but not a fracture, Victorino said. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said Ben Francisco would start in center field if Victorino is unable to play, which would keep Raul Ibañez in left field and likely mean lefty-hitting Matt Stairs would start at DH against southpaw Andy Pettitte. If Victorino can play, Francisco likely starts in left field with Ibañez moving to DH, as was the case in Game 1 against lefthander CC Sabathia."
Philadelphia Phillies hoping Ryan Howard can shake slump, pound New York Yankees
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November 4
New York Daily News
 
"Manager Charlie Manuel said he is still confident about the Phillies' chances of repeating as World Series champs, even if his All-Star first baseman Ryan Howard continues to struggle at the plate. "We can win it easier if he hits," Manuel said Tuesday, drawing laughs from the media. The numbers don't lie: After hitting .286 in five games during last year's title run against the Rays, Howard is batting a meek .158 (3-for19), with 12 strikeouts through five games of this Fall Classic. His 12 whiffs tied a Series record, matching Kansas City's Willie Wilson in the 1980 Series. "Ryan Howard is more than just a power hitter," Manuel said. "When he's really good, he's a very good, ..."
Back in Bronx, New York Yankees will show Philadelphia Phillies how World Series is won
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November 4
New York Daily News
 
"Everybody knew the Yankees were going to lose Game 5 in Philly, and it had nothing to do with Joe Girardi's choice of starter. The Yanks never had a prayer, because Bad Mouth Larry was in the house. As soon as the Creatures heard Larry had actually made his way into Citizens Bank Park, we knew there was no chance. Because Larry is the ultimate bad-luck charm, whenever he travels with his beloved team. He's fine when he's in the right-field bleachers in the Bronx. More than fine. He's an inspirational heckler. But then Larry goes out to Arizona for Game 7 in 2001, or to Miami to watch the Marlins take control of the series in 2003, or to countless other road disasters in Boston and all ..."
With Pedro Martinez on mound, Phillies think they can get to Andy Pettitte, Yankees
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November 4
New York Daily News
 columnist Tim Smith
"A few hours after the Phillies staved off World Series elimination by beating the Yankees at Citizens Bank Park on Monday night, the transit union in Philadelphia went on strike, shutting down commuter buses and trains. The commuters in Philadelphia might not be going anywhere anytime soon. But the Phillies believe they're moving toward a second world title after the Yankees' Short Rest Express lost some steam in Game 5. Even though the Yankees hold a 3-2 lead in the Series, which returns to the Bronx tonight, the Phillies think they can get to Andy Pettitte, who will be pitching Game 6 on three days' rest, and then push matters to a Game 7 where all bets are off. Why shouldn't they ..."
Joe Girardi ready to go to closer Mariano Rivera in Game 6 to seal World Series for New York Yankees
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November 4
New York Daily News
 
"Mariano Rivera was the World Series MVP the last time the Yankees clinched a championship at home - 1999 - and he could claim the hardware again if the Bombers can close out the pesky Phillies. If he does, you can figure on him throwing multiple innings to do it. Joe Girardi said yesterday that he would use Rivera for more than one inning tonight if the right situation presented itself, and Rivera added that he would "hopefully" be ready to throw two innings in Game 6 and perhaps even in Game 7, if necessary. When someone asked if he could go three innings tonight, Rivera replied, "Hopefully, we don't need it." Then he added, "We will have to do whatever it takes to win the game. It's a ..."
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