Bronx, NY (Sports Network) – Hideki Matsui’s monster night at the plate was capped by the Yankees swarming the infield for a boisterous celebration of their unprecedented 27th World Series title, including the first for Alex Rodriguez.

Matsui tied a World Series record with six RBI in one game, Andy Pettitte threw into the sixth inning for his postseason-record 18th win and New York beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 7-3, to clinch the World Series championship in six games.

Fittingly, the game ended with the playoff’s best closer of all-time on the mound as Mariano Rivera retired Shane Victorino on a ground ball to second base.

When Joe Girardi was hired as manager of the Yankees last year, he chose to wear No. 27 on his uniform and he guided baseball’s historic franchise to its first World Series title since 2000.

Matsui belted a two-run homer in the second inning and added a two-run single in the third, both off Pedro Martinez, and then drilled a two-run double off J.A. Happ in the fifth.

The six RBI equals the mark set by the Yankees’ Bobby Richardson in an October 8, 1960 Game 3 victory against Pittsburgh, a series in which New York lost in seven games.

Matsui, in the final season of a four-year, $52 million contract, saved his best for ultimately the last game of 2009. The 35-year-old, a three-time MVP of the Japanese Central League (1996, 2000 and 2002), and nicknamed Godzilla for his hitting power, had a huge series, going 8-for-13 with three homers and eight RBI.

The Yankees won the World Series with just three starting pitchers – CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Pettitte (2-0), who was the third straight hurler to go on three days’ rest. The southpaw allowed four hits and three runs, walked five and fanned three over 5 2/3 innings. Pettitte became the first Yankee starter to record more than one victory in a World Series since Mike Torrez defeated the Dodgers twice in 1977.

The Yankees, who spent $423.5 million in the offseason on three players – Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and Burnett – used that in part to gain their first World Series appearance since 2003. They finished it with a title in the inaugural year of the new Yankee Stadium with shortstop Derek Jeter, catcher Jorge Posada, Pettitte and Rivera all garnering their fifth World Series championship ring. Jeter had three hits and scored twice in the series clincher.

It was also the culmination of a roller-coaster year for Rodriguez. Before the season, the three-time AL MVP admitted to using steroids while a member of the Texas Rangers from 2001-03. He didn’t make his 2009 debut until May 8 because of hip surgery.

It was a record-setting World Series for Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard, but one which he’d like to forget. Howard, who hit a two-run homer off Pettitte in the sixth inning, went 4-for-23 with a World Series-record 13 strikeouts over the six games. That broke the mark of 12 strikeouts by Kansas City’s Willie Wilson in 1980, the last time the Phillies won the World Series before Philadelphia captured last year’s championship over Tampa Bay.

The Phillies were trying to become the first back-to-back NL champion since Cincinnati in 1975-76.

Martinez (0-2), the losing pitcher in Game 2, left after giving up three hits and four runs over four frames.

Via Sports Network

They do to the Yankees’ fans at Pinstripe Alley, who bring a little bit of numerology to tonight’s proceedings:

November 4, 2009.

11/4.

If the Yankees win tonight, their postseason record is 11-4.

And it will be their 114th win of 2009.

The only people who should be worried right now are Phillies fans.

OK, so that is pretty weird. Complete and utter coincidence that has nothing to do with what happens on the field this evening? Yes. But still: pretty weird.

The Phillies avoided elimination Monday night, and kept the Yankees from winning their 27th World Series title. Can they do it again tonight? SB Nation's The Good Phight offers three reasons why Philadelphia will force a Game 7:.

The Good

1) Road Warriors.  The Phillies were tied with the Angels for the best road team in baseball this year.  The Phillies went 48-33, with a +70 run differential away from CBP this year.  The Phillies have played five games at Yankee Stadium so far this year, and have outscored the Yankees 22-15 ... 

2) Rested and ready.  Despite some criticism, Charlie Manuel's decision to keep his pitchers on normal rest could pay off huge.  Pedro Martinez, on 5 days rest, is going up against Andy Pettitte, on 3 days rest.  Martinez has always been at his best when he's on regular 4 or 5 day rest.  When he gets too much rest, 6 days or more, his game suffers.  Batters hit him better (a .070 jump in OPS on his career, about a .200 jump this year) and he gives up more runs (his ERA jumps about 1.00 on his career, about 3.00 this year).  Martinez is in his sweet spot going on 5 days rest.  On the other hand, Pettitte will be challenged on 3 days rest.  For his career, Pettitte is only slightly worse on 3 days rest compared to regular rest.  But, here's the rub -- he hasn't pitched on 3 days rest since 2006, when he was 34.  The body works differently at 37.

3) Righty power. The Phillies right-handed hitters can demolish Pettitte.  Even though Pettitte had a small reverse platoon split this year (.730 OPS for lefties, .717 for righties) and just a very small platoon split for his career (.728 OPS for righties, .711 for lefties), the Phillies righties have demolished Pettitte in the past.  It's all on the small to miniscule sample size end of the spectrum, but the results have been great.  Including the post-season, Jayson Werth has a .188/.188/750 line with 3 home runs in 16 plate appearances, Pedro Feliz has a .300/.462/.400 line in 13 plate appearances, Ben Francisco has a .400/.500/.400 line in 6 plate appearances, and Carlos Ruiz has a .500/.667/1.250 line in 6 plate appearances ... 

They also offer three reasons why the Phillies' season may be coming to an end tonight. Although based on their final prediction, they seem to think the good outweighs the bad going into tonight's game.

(Sports Network) - The New York Yankees turn to Andy Pettitte on short rest this evening, as they try once again to lock down their 27th World Series title when they play Game 6 against the Philadelphia Phillies at Yankee Stadium.

This is the first time the World Series has reached a sixth game since 2003 when the world was introduced to Josh Beckett, who tossed a five-hit shutout to eliminate the Yankees and clinch a World Series title for the Florida Marlins.

The Yankees are hopeful that Pettitte has a better outcome this time than he did six years ago when he toed the rubber against a 23-year-old Beckett. This time, he will be squaring off against 38-year-old Pedro Martinez in what very well could be the final start of both of their careers.

"For us both to still be pitching and then to be able to be pitching in the World Series, I'm sure he feels the same way I do," said Pettitte. "I just feel very blessed, very fortunate to be able to have this opportunity."

Surprisingly, these two have never met in a playoff game, and have not faced off anywhere since 2003.

"Two old goats out there doing the best they can and having fun with it," Martinez said.

Pettitte, the third straight Yankee starter to go on three days' rest, hasn't pitched on short rest since when he was with the Houston Astros in 2006, and has not pitched well in these situations overall. In 14 career starts on short rest, he has posted a 4-6 mark to go along with a 4.15 earned run average.

"Physically, for me it obviously is a little concern, just seeing how my body is going to feel on that short rest," Pettitte said. "But again, you prepare for this. I've been resting the last few days, and I feel like I've had the time off that I need, and mentally I'll be able to get in the place I need to. I mean, I'm hoping for that."

In five career postseason starts on three days' rest, Pettitte is 3-1 with a 2.80 ERA. In fact, two of the best outings of his career have come on short rest: Game 5 of the 1996 World Series, when he tossed 8 1/3 scoreless innings to outduel Atlanta's John Smoltz, and Game 2 of the 2003 World Series, when he allowed just an unearned run in 8 2/3 frames to defeat Florida.

Of course, Pettitte is not 24 years old like he was back in Atlanta 13 years ago. But he is still the winningest pitcher in postseason history. In fact, no pitcher has won more clinching games than the six he has under his belt.

Pettitte, who was on the hill in the Yanks' pennant-clinching victory over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the ALCS, picked up his major league record 17th playoff win in Game 3 of this series on Saturday, as he allowed four runs and five hits in six innings to improve to 3-0 this postseason to go along with a 3.24 ERA. He also helped his cause at the plate with an RBI single.

"What an opportunity," Pettitte said. "That's really the only way you can look at it. To be able to hopefully pitch the game that will bring a 27th world championship to this organization and this city, it's what we set out to do. I just feel very fortunate to have this opportunity, be on this team with a great group of guys, and hope I can throw a great game for us tomorrow to give us a chance to be able to win another championship."

Philadelphia, meanwhile, will rely on Martinez, who, of course, is no stranger to the big stage in the Bronx.

"For everybody that grows up in the Dominican and didn't have a rich life, it's a survival," Martinez said. "That's what we call it in the Dominican -- survival. And in baseball, I am a survivor. I'm someone who wasn't meant to be, and here I am on one big stage. I really thank God for the blessings of being here, because I was supposed to just survive and that's it. Here we are, guys! I have a lot of you paying attention to me right now. That's a great joy."

The veteran right-hander had been 8-4 in the old Yankee stadium and pitched perhaps his best game there back in 1999, when he allowed one hit and struck out 17 in a complete game win. In his first start in the new park, he gave up three runs and six hits in six innings and kept a potent New York lineup off- balance all night, despite taking the loss in Game 2.

Martinez is just 1-3 in seven postseason appearances against the Yankees and 0-3 in his past six outings against them. Overall in the playoffs, Martinez is 6-3 with a 3.22 ERA in 15 appearances, 13 of them starts.

The Phillies signed Martinez at the All-Star break and the three-time Cy Young winner made nine starts this regular season, posting a record of 5-1 with a 3.63 ERA.

Philadelphia kept the Yankees' champagne on ice on Monday, as Chase Utley clubbed a pair of homers and Cliff Lee pitched into the eighth inning to help the Phillies extend their season with an 8-6 win.

Utley belted a three-run homer in the first inning off A.J. Burnett, then delivered a solo blast off Phil Coke leading off the seventh. His five homers in this set ties ex-Yankee Reggie Jackson for the most hit in one World Series. Jackson accomplished the feat in 1977 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"Obviously it's great company," said Utley. "At some point, not right now, maybe I'll look back on it and see what kind of special moment it is. But right now our goal is to win two more games."

The Phillies, aiming to become the first National League repeat winner since Cincinnati in 1975-76, still have a big task to overcome, as they are trying to become just the sixth team to rally back from a 3-1 deficit to win the World Series. Kansas City was the last team to do in 1985, while the Pittsburgh Pirates were the last to accomplish the feat having to win Games 6 and 7 on the road, which they did in 1979 in Baltimore.

Philadelphia nearly wasted an 8-2 lead in Monday's win. Down 8-5 in the ninth, the Yankees put men on first and third against Ryan Madson with no outs, but came away with just one run when Derek Jeter grounded into a double-play. Johnny Damon then battled back from an 0-2 count and singled up the middle, but Mark Teixeira struck out swinging to end the game as Madson barely earned his first career postseason save. Alex Rodriguez, who drove in three runs Monday, was left on deck.

Raul Ibanez knocked in two runs, including a mammoth 420-foot homer off Coke in the seventh.

Lee (2-0), who sparkled with a complete-game win in the series opener, allowed seven hits and five runs over seven-plus frames.

"Basically our backs were against the wall, a do-or-die situation," said Lee. "To go out there and give the team a chance, the offense scored plenty of runs to make things a little easier on me, and that was all good. But for me, I've still got to try to put up zeroes and get deep into the game, and I did that and gave the team a chance. So it was a group effort and we're still fighting."

Burnett (1-1), on short rest, was knocked out of the game with no outs in the third. He allowed four hits and six runs, walked four and had a pair of strikeouts.

These teams have a limited history against one another, but did square off once in the World Series back in 1950, when the Yankees swept the series in four games from the Whiz Kids of Philadelphia.

The Phillies also took two of three from the Yanks earlier this season at Yankee Stadium. Philadelphia won the opener before New York rallied off of closer Brad Lidge in the second contest. The Yankees got to Lidge again in the finale, but Philly managed to pick up an extra-inning win in that one to capture the series.