Yankees tie up Series ahead of Philly trip
Teixeira and Matsui hit solo homers off familiar foe Pedro Martinez, backing a sharp performance by AJ Burnett and giving the Yankees a 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 2 on Thursday night.
Burnett joined an elite list of Yankees pitchers on Thursday becoming the third to throw seven-plus innings in the World Series with nine or more strikeouts while allowing four or fewer hits and one or fewer earned runs.
“After (Wednesday), getting a win was big,” Teixeira said.
A night after getting stopped by Cliff Lee in the opener 6-1, the Yanks bounced back from an early deficit, sparked by a pickoff throw from backup catcher Jose Molina, and won in the Series for the first time since taking a 2-1 lead against Florida in 2003.
The Phillies had been hoping for more than a split but were content.
“I always like to be 2-0 over 1-1. But it is what it is,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. “I’ve got to accept it.”
Light-hitting Matt Stairs put the Phillies on top with an RBI single in the second. Teixeira, in an 8-for-44 (.182) postseason slump, tied the score after when he led off the fourth by driving a high change-up into the Yankees bullpen in right field.
“I think the home run got the crowd back in it,” Teixeira said. “It kind of put a little bit of a crack in their armour.”
Matsui put New York ahead with two outs in the sixth, reaching down for a curveball below his knees and sending it a few rows into the seats in right.
“I was able to make a good adjustment and put a good swing on it and fortunately it led to the result,” he said.
Jorge Posada pinch hit in the seventh and added an RBI single off Chan Ho Park.
Burnett got his first win after three postseason no-decisions for the Yankees, allowing four hits in seven innings and retiring his last eight batters.
Burnett struck out nine, — including Ryan Howard three times — and started his first 11 hitters with strikes, nine of them looking. Burnett kept his control, walking two, one of them intentional.
Philadelphia, seeking to become the NL’s first repeat Series champion since the 1975-76 Reds, lost for just the fifth time in 22 postseason games. New York won despite getting nothing from Alex Rodriguez. After carrying the Yankees in the playoffs against the Twins and Angels, he is 0 for 8 in his first Series appearance and struck out three times for the second straight night.
“I know he’ll bounce back,” Girardi said. “We’ll get it going with him in Philly.”
When the Series resumes this evening at just before midnight Irish time, Cole Hamels will start for the Phillies against Andy Pettitte in an all-lefty matchup.
