Live from the Bronx: Yanks go for the clinch II

NEW YORK -- What more is there to be said? It's the Yankees and Phillies in Game Six. Andy Pettitte vs. Pedro Martinez. The quest for the Bombers' 27th title. The Phillies quest to keep their reign going and get to Game Seven. Sully wants the Yankees to drill Chase Utley. You would think that's coming. Keep it here for your live updates.

Here's the lineups:

Philadelphia: Rollins, ss; Victorino, cf; Utley, 2b; Howard, 1b; Werth, rf; Ibanez, dh; Feliz, 3b; Francisco, lf;  Ruiz, c;

New York: Jeter, ss; Damon, lf; Teixeira, 1b; Rodriguez, 3b; Matsui, dh; Posada, c; Cano, 2b; Swisher, rf; Gardner cf.

---Mike Harrington

(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

Mid-9th: The quest for 27 is complete. Yankees win

Mid-8th (7-3, Yankees): Three outs to go.

End-7th (7-3, Yankees): I'd say the Phillies' last chance just passed. With two on and two out, Damaso Marte got Utley on a check-swing third strike (dubious appeal call by Brian Gorman at third). So Mariano has a four-run lead to work with and six outs to go. I'd say you can book this one. Check that: Marte will stay in to face Howard, then it will be "Enter Sandman"

End-6th (7-3, Yankees): Pettitte has walked five and his free pass to Utley was damaging because Howard followed with a two-run homer just over the wall in left. One out later, Ibanez doubled and Pettitte was lifted for Joba Chamberlain, who I would imagine would work through the seventh with Mariano in the eighth and ninth. Pettitte got a roaring ovation and doffed his cap to the crowd as he left. Joba got Feliz on a grounder to end the inning.

End-5th (7-1, Yankees): You can start engraving that championship trophy and start chiseling Matsui's MVP trophy as the Yankees are in control. Jeter leads off with a double, goes to third on a Hairston sacrifice and scored on Teixiera's single to right-center, just his third hit of the series. A-Rod walked and Matsui drove another one off the wall in deep right-center for a two-run double. That six RBIs, tying Bobby Richardson's 1960 record for a WS game set against the Pirates. A 3-for-3 night and an 8-for-12 series with 8 RBIs. The place is buzzing. This is the night.

Mid-5th (4-1, Yankees): Pettitte is through five on three days rest after getting Rollins to ground into a double play, the Phillies' 2nd of the night. The Yankees are six outs away from Mariano, who would almost certainly pitch two innings tonight to protect a lead. Pedro is out and Chad Durbin comes in.

End-4th (4-1, Yankees): Pettitte issed a pair of two-out walks before getting Feliz on a full-count pitch by grounding to third. After the inning, the normally mild-mannered Pettitte started yelling at plate umpire Joe West on the way out of the dugout and Joe Girardi had to intervene. Rarely see that from Pettitte but West's zone has been tight tonight. Pedro rebounded from the third with a 1-2-3 fourth. Pitch counts: Pettitte 62-31, Pedro 77-46.

End-3rd (4-1, Yankees): Pedro was one pitch away from getting out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam but Matsui got him again for a two-run single to push the lead to three. A key to the inning was when Victorino misread Jeter's one-out liner and let the ball fall in front of him for a single that got things going. Damon walked and Pedro hit Teixeira with the first pitch. It looked like a big momentum swing was in the offing when Pedro got A-Rod to take a called third strike on a pitch that appeared outside.

Matsui fouled back the first pitch, then roped the second just foul down the line in right. He didn't miss the third, a high fastball on the outside edge that he drove to left-center. So Matsui is now 7-11 in the series with three homers and 6 RBIs. Damon apparently pulled a calf muscle scoring on the single and has been replaced in left by Jerry Hairston. He was 6 for 10 in the last three games. That could be a big loss for the Yanks. Pedro at 62 pitches through three. Phils had lefty J.A. Happ warming. Should he have faced Matsui instread of Pedro?

Mid-3rd: (2-1, Yankees): The Phillies cut the deficit in half as Ruiz triples halfway off the wall in deep left-center (Gardner played it into a triple by allowing the ball to bounce by him), and Rollins followed with a sacrifice fly to right. Ruiz had just four triples in his career in more than 1,100 at-bats and only one this year. Huge to not let Pettitte go 1-2-3 after the Matsui HR.

End-2nd (2-0, Yankees): Matsui did the damage with a two-out home run into the second deck in right that followed a four-pitch walk to A-Rod. It came on a full-count pitch and capped an at-bat when he roped two long fouls to right. After taking the 2-2 pitch just inside, Matsui teed off on an 89-mph fastball (right) for his second homer of the series off Pedro, who doesn't have much. You wonder how long they keep him in this game. Matsui is now 6 for 10 with three HRs in this series; has to get some MVP consideration if the Yankees win although I'm assuming it goes to Rivera if there's a save (and it doesn't go to Utley).

End-1st (0-0): The first pitch, a ball from Pettitte to Rollins, was at 7:58 p.m. and the gametime temperature is a brisk 47 degrees. Trust me, that seems like an optimistic reading. Pettitte gave up an infield single to Victorino but got out of the inning by getting Utley on a double play. No, Sully, Pettitte didn't dust Utley. Pedro ignored the "Who's Your Daddy?" chants to post a 1-2-3 inning, including a strikeouts of Damon on a 75-mph changeup. Teixeira flied deep to right to fall to 2 for 20 in the series. Lots of junk by Pedro; nothing over 85 mph.

Comments

[Aaron]

That's too bad. There weren't many places in sports better than the old Yankee Stadium in October.

[Mike Harrington]

Aaron: totally agree. No way this place is as loud as the old House. One reason is the upper deck is far back from the field and the noise doesn't get contained. In the old place, the decks went virtually straight up from the field.

[Aaron]

Mike,
A lot of the NY beat writers that I follow on Twitter are saying that the new Stadium is no way as loud as the playoff games at the old ballpark. Do you agree?