Team W

Was it Mr. November, punching home the go-ahead run in fifth? The acquired workhorse pitcher, muscling his way through nearly six innings on short rest? Perhaps the All-Star first baseman, cleaning up a 20-foot radius at the right-field bag? Or maybe the team's biggest "fraud," driving the hit he's been trying to find for the past five years? Wait — the old-man, shallow-throwing Boston defector? Or the bullpen ghosts, actually finding outs rather than bringing a curse? Perhaps the Sandman, closing it out with eight pitches?

It was the New York Yankees. The Bronx Bombers, the boys in pinstripes, the Evil Empire. The team that resides in New York, N.Y., collectively won Game 4 of the World Series tonight, and it was beautiful.

The action began in the first inning, as it always should, with Yankees captain Derek Jeter up to bat. He struck the second pitch of the night and ran for a single, and Johnny Damon followed behind with a pounding double.

Mark Teixeira, who has one hit to his name in the World Series so far, took a step in the right direction by lacing an RBI grounder down the right-field line. Teixeira was tagged out by first after a great Ryan Howard dive, but the Yankees were up 1-0 after six pitches.

(Irony: Teixeira and Howard are both first baseman and their team's leading sluggers, and both haven't been hitting in the Series but have played incredible defense.)

Alex Rodriguez came to the plate with his own redemption at stake. Since torching the American League Division and Championship Series, Rodriguez has been horrific against the Phils, striking out six times and getting just one hit (although it was a beauty, a two-run round-tripper). Clearly in the zone, A-Rod got in his stance and stared toward Philadelphia pitcher Joe Blanton, ready to send the runner on third home.

Blanton's first pitch skewed out of his hand and flew straight into the back of A-Rod's rib cage, a pitch so off the mark you had to think he was more shaken at the prospect of the ensuing at-bat than trying to plunk the hard-hitting cleanup man. A-Rod turned away, visibly angry — not so much at the pain, though. This man wanted to drive 'em in.

It was the third time Rodriguez had been hit in the last two games, with the two times he was beaned yesterday the first time since the 1960s that a player had been hit twice in a World Series game.

Jorge Posada came through with a sacrifice fly, putting New York up 2-0, and then it was time for CC Sabathia to get to work.

Sabathia looked rough early, allowing back-to-back doubles for a run, but he buckled down to strike out two and escape the innings. It appeared that the game might dissolve into a pitcher's duel, but in the bottom of the fourth, Sabathia allowed another run.

The Yankees' batters were ready.

Nick Swisher drew a four-pitch walk from the leadoff spot, a big feat for a guy who's been hitting nothing lately, sans yesterday's outburst. (Swisher ended up drawing two walks, a mix of hilarity and greatness.) Then, in a scene all Yankees fans could smile at, the camera cut to the on-deck circle to show Sabathia lopping his bat around, stretching/practice swinging, looking like a fat kid trying to imitate his father.

Melky Cabrera was up next, though, and he provided the Melky special with a man on first. Cabrera doesn't always hit it strong, but he finds ways to get on base, such as his legging out a bunt a couple games ago or his hit tonight, a grounder he outran.

Sabathia arrived at the plate wanting to pull a Pettitte and put his team ahead after letting the Phils catch up, but he came up short. No worries: Mr. November will take care of it.

Jeter hooked an RBI single to put the Yankees up again, 3-2, in the top of the fifth.

Damon followed, absolutely plopping the ball in the gap, and alert running by Cabrera helped him come all the way home once he knew the ball would drop, scoring a 4-2 run in a game that proved to hang on each run's importance.

With the Yankees bats finally, officially, unflukishly alive, all Sabathia had to do was hold the Phillies. The big man worked into the seventh and was an out away from sewing up the frame when Chase Utley came to the plate. Utley had already hit a first-inning RBI double off Sabathia to get Philly within one, and he was the one responsible for Philadelphia's Game 1 win, thanks to his two quads off of Sabathia while Cliff Lee held New York at bay (until the bullpen imploded, and New York destroyed itself).

Chase Utley did it again, chasing Sabathia with a solo homer that brought the Phillies, once again, within a run. 4-3 Yankees.

Sabathia left with six-and-two-thirds innings pitched, 107 pitches tossed, and six strikeouts. It wasn't a flawless game, but it was enough — just what the Yankees needed. New York didn't need dominance; it just needed him to work out of enough jams to let a decent bat effort win the game. You know, have him be part of the team rather than carrying everyone.

The bottom of the eighth brought a pitching change for the Yankees necessitated by a pinch batter, and manager Joe Girardi summoned Joba Chamberlain. Once the fireballing pride of the Bronx, Chamberlain has been caught in management's yo-yo routine between being an average starting pitcher and a dominating setup man to the point that he can barely do either now. But he seemed to have found his form again when he took the mound, striking out two and loading two strikes on Pedro Feliz.

Chamberlain was close to redemption, then boom, Feliz ripped one over the wall. In a game the Yankees had been controlling, with just one inning left, it was all evened up, 4-4.

Out of Philadelphia's bullpen, with the game on the line, came the Phillie with the biggest need of his own redemption: Brad Lidge. A year after being Philadelphia's savior, winning the town its first championship since 1983 by saving game after game with Mariano Rivera-like perfection, Lidge had imploded in the regular season, posting unsightly numbers and losing games.

But come October, he was the old Lidge, not allowing anything past him and closing out the tight Phillies games as the men in red recorded more of their vaunted comebacks.

It was the Yankees' first test against Lidge, and at first it looked like they were failing. Hideki Matsui went down on a popup, and Jeter struck out ugly on seven pitches. Damon came to the plate as the Yankees' final chance before an extra innings (or comeback) mess and worked up a nine-pitch, full-count single to put a man on first with two out and the American League's most prolific hitter in 2009 coming to the plate.

Problem is, the American League's most prolific hitter in 2009 has been one of the Yankees' worst postseason hitter. Teixeira has one hit so far in the Series, and his only other good stat (that first-inning RBI) was inches from being another chopped foul.

The pressure was on, and Teixeira — Sesame Street-face seriousness and all — was ready for it.

But the baseball gods wanted someone else to have a try at it. With a 1-0 count, Damon took off running for a steal of second, and the throw — while wayward — barely went to the right side of the bag as Damon slid in for an easy swipe. But Damon, realizing that the throw had drawn the second baseman away, and seeing that no Phillies were on the left side of the diamond due to the shift they'd put on to quell Teixeira, decided he'd take third.

At first, it looked like a blunder. Had Damon not seen that the fielder had the ball? Was he trying to be a hero? Why did he need third? Where was he going?

Moments later, when sneaky Damon had taken third, all was clear, and the Yankees were in prime position to close out the game.

The pressure was still on Teixeira, but Lidge took it off when his next pitch plunked Tex, putting men on first and third for the man the baseball gods have been summoning since last Wednesday.

Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez, come forth.

(Word play to not be taken seriously: Doesn't Emmanuel mean "God with us"?)

We've been saying it in June, in July, in the final days of September, that this A-Rod is the real deal. He's a team player; he's focused; he's ready to just play; he's firing on all cylinders. October showed up, and A-Rod bashed seven RBI in his final regular-season game to snatch 100 RBI and rev the motor for the playoffs. The postseason arrived, and he arrived with it, carrying the Yankees past the Twins and the Angels, breaking records and erasing years of terrible play.

But the World Series brought an 0-for-8 start, including six strikeouts. And even the two-run blast yesterday to pull the Yankees into the game wasn't a solace as A-Rod came to the plate against Lidge, who despite his foibles, had looked very good in striking out Jeter three batters before.

Strike looking. A-Rod is calm, serene, stepping back, then moving into the box again.

Nervousness grips the pinstriped faithful, for as much as they've hated him before, they don't want to hate him anymore. They want this one. They want it bad.

Take back what is rightfully our's. K-O the Phillies. Three games to one. Championship No. 27. Do it. Do it. Do it.

Swing — hard hit — oh, it's a hit — a good one — it's moving — Yankees ahead — A-Rod's for real — A-Rod's for real — A-Rod's for real!

Cannot believe it. The 1-for-13 batter just got it done.

A Jorge Posada single followed, scoring Teixeira and Rodriguez to put the game away (well, until Rivera's eight-pitch shut-down that blew away the three Phillies who'd had the air sucked out of them).

And there we go. A 7-4 win. A postseason edge.

27 outs away from No. 27.

Whew, I'm sure glad those 39 pitches Mo threw two games ago didn't let the Phillies figure him out like they said they would. Give me a break, Phillies. You're problem isn't Mo. It's not Sabathia. It's not even A-Rod, or Jeter, or Damon, or a rejuvenated bullpen.

You've met a collection of men called the New York Yankees, and they want this one.

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Game Recap

Notables: Jeter was 2-for-4 with a walk, run, and RBI in a game where his stat line didn't reveal how insanely clutch this tight-pants-clad man is. ... Damon was 3-for-5, and officially absolved of the accusations that he brought the curse with him from Boston. ... A-Rod's double was his only hit of the night, and Teixeira was hitless again. ... Posada had just one hit but 3 RBI; he knows how to pick his spots. ... Cabrera may have pulled his hamstring after running out that grounder. He had to leave the game. ... Chamberlain got the win, with hopes it won't go to his head since his hat is already stretched to the seams (both literally and figuratively). He's also credited with a blown save, which is abbreviated "BS" in statistic-keeping. ... Rivera's save was his fifth of this postseason. ... The runs Lidge allowed were the first this postseason. Until now he was the last pitcher to not allow a run in the 2009 playoffs. ... Jimmy Rollins said the Phillies would win in five games.