Recap: NY Yankees vs. Philadelphia

Nick Swisher went 2-for-4 with one of the Yankees' three homers, which helped New York take an 8-5 win over the Phillies in a pivotal Game 3 of the World Series.

The Yankees had scored just four runs in the first two games combined, having been shut down by Cliff Lee in a Game 1 loss before scraping out a win against Pedro Martinez in Game 2 thanks to a superb effort by A.J. Burnett.

However, New York took the win in Saturday's contest, which was delayed more than an hour because of rain, thanks to its offense. In addition, the Yankees took a key 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven matchup. Nine of the last 10 teams to win Game 3 when the World Series was tied 1-1 went on to take the title.

Hideki Matsui had a pinch-homer, while Alex Rodriguez hit a two-run shot that was only called a home run after video review. Johnny Damon hit a big two-run double in the victory for New York, which is in search of its 27th World Series title.

Andy Pettitte (1-0), who recorded an RBI single, gave up three early runs, but pitched well enough to get the win, which extended his own record for career playoff victories to 17. Over six innings, the left-hander gave up four runs on five hits and three walks, with seven strikeouts.

"It was a battle tonight," Pettitte said. "I wasn't able to get ahead. I wasn't able to get my breaking ball over. You know, fortunately enough, they had some lefties in the lineup that I was able to cut some balls, get them away from them in some big situations and able to get some outs when I needed to get some."

His lefty counterpart, Cole Hamels (0-1) took the loss after lasting just 4 1/3 innings, in which he surrendered five runs on five hits and two walks. The start continued a disappointing season and postseason for Hamels, who last season captured MVP honors in the NLCS and World Series for the defending champion Phillies.

But after going 10-11 with a 4.32 ERA in the regular season, Hamels posted a 6.75 ERA in three postseason starts entering Saturday's contest, which only continued his woes. Hamels has not pitched six full innings in any of his playoff starts in 2009.

"I think at times he gets a little upset with himself," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said of Hamels. "But as far as his mental toughness, this guy, he's mentally tough. He's definitely mentally tough. I mean, he's just -- tonight for three innings there he was real good, and that's kind of been the pattern he's pitched this year."

Jayson Werth hit a pair of homers for the Phillies, giving him seven in this year's playoffs, while Carlos Ruiz added a solo shot.

The series continues Sunday back at Citizens Bank Park with Game 4, when the Yankees will pitch Game 1 starter CC Sabathia on short rest. The Phillies named Joe Blanton their Game 4 starter, opting not to pitch Lee on short rest.

Once the tarp came off the field after an 80-minute delay, the Phillies jumped out to a three-run lead. But starting in the fourth, the Yankees scored in five consecutive innings to assume the lead.

Mark Teixeira walked with one away, and Rodriguez followed with a blast down the right-field line. It was ruled a double at first, but the umpires reviewed it.

"In this particular play, the ball hit something hard, solid, and it was -- in my judgment it was the top of the fence," right field umpire Jeff Nelson said. "And then when [Yankees manager Joe Girardi] came out, Joe just said, 'We think it hit a fan.' I said, 'It didn't hit a fan, it hit something solid. But we'll talk about it.' We talked about it, and we decided to use the replay."

It was called a home run, as replays showed the ball appeared to hit off a camera just above the wall. Gerry Davis, crew chief of the umpires, said a specific ground rule is that when a ball hits a camera, it's a home run because "we cannot control what the cameraman does with the camera."

That brought the Yankees within 3-2, and they grabbed the lead in the fifth, which Swisher began with a double just over third base. Two batters later, Pettitte blooped a single to center to bring in a run.

Derek Jeter followed with another bloop single to center, and Damon delivered with a double to the gap in right-center, making it a 5-3 New York lead. Hamels walked Teixeira, who was his final batter, while J.A. Happ came in and got the Phillies out of the inning.

However, Swisher, who was 4-for-35 this postseason entering Saturday's contest, drilled a one-out solo homer to left off Happ in the sixth, making it a 6-3 game.

The Phillies got that run back in the home sixth, as Werth hit his second leadoff homer of the game, a monster shot to left.

But as was the case in the late innings, the Phillies couldn't put together a rally and their pitching allowed the Yankees to expand the lead.

Chad Durbin took the mound for Philadelphia in the seventh and walked Damon with one out. Damon stole second during the next at-bat, a Teixeira strikeout, and Durbin hit Rodriguez to put two runners on. Jorge Posada followed by slicing a single to left to bring in Damon for a 7-4 lead.

Joba Chamberlain then worked a quick bottom of the seventh, throwing only nine pitches, and New York added another run in the eighth on Matsui's two-out pinch-homer off Brett Myers.

Damaso Marte pitched a perfect eighth, and after Ruiz smacked a solo homer off Phil Hughes in the ninth, Mariano Rivera came in to get the final two outs and seal the victory.

The Phillies established a lead in the second, which Werth began with a homer on a low-and-outside pitch. Two batters later, Pedro Feliz doubled to right- center, and Pettitte walked Ruiz.

The Phillies got a big break in the next at-bat, as Hamels reached on a bunt attempt, leaving the bases loaded with one away. Pettitte walked Jimmy Rollins to force in a run, and Shane Victorino followed with a sacrifice fly for a 3-0 Phillies lead before Pettitte got Chase Utley looking at strike three to end the threat.

Game Notes

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