Pettitte, Yanks go for title against old foe Pedro

By MIKE FITZPATRICK,

NEW YORK (AP) Andy Pettitte leaned forward in his chair and recounted a recent chat he had with Derek Jeter as soon as the Yankees veterans both realized what was next in this World Series.

Pettitte vs. old foe Pedro Martinez, with the New York one win from ecstasy.

Still chasing that elusive 27th championship, New York will turn to Pettitte once again in Game 6 on Wednesday, hoping he can pitch them past the Philadelphia Phillies on only three days' rest.

"Me and Derek were talking about it in the clubhouse last night. Just how strange is this?" Pettitte said on Tuesday. "I think everybody knew it was going to be a great Series. I think everybody knew it was going to be a tough Series. And it looks like it's living up to that."

After wasting a chance to wrap things up at Philadelphia on Monday, the Yankees set their sights on clinching at home. They'd love to christen their $1.5 billion ballpark with a World Series title in its first season and give another championship to 79-year-old owner George Steinbrenner.

They've got two chances to do it. Game 7 would be Thursday if necessary, with ace CC Sabathia pitching for New York - also on short rest.

"People expect us to be great all the time. We just need to be great tomorrow night," Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon said.

Coming off an 8-6 victory on Monday that trimmed their Series deficit to 3-2, the defending champion Phillies took the train up to New York on Tuesday, a ride that takes a little more than an hour.

They chose not to work out at Yankee Stadium, but their opponents did.

Riding Chase Utley's homers, the Phillies are trying to become the first team to rally from a 3-1 World Series deficit since the 1985 Kansas City Royals - and the first National League club to win consecutive championships since the 1975-76 Cincinnati Reds.

To do it, Philadelphia might need Ryan Howard to break out of his untimely slump. The big slugger is batting .158 (3 for 19) with 12 strikeouts, tying the Series record set by Kansas City's Willie Wilson in 1980.

Utley, however, is doing more than his share. His five home runs matched the mark set by Yankees Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson in 1977.

Pettitte and Martinez first squared off on the mound 11 years ago, but they've never done so in the playoffs. Both pitchers are 3-3 in six matchups, all games between the Yankees and Red Sox from 1998-2003. Martinez has a 3.86 ERA to Pettitte's 5.88, according to STATS LLC. With so much on the line this time, it's a delicious matchup of gritty pros in their late 30s, long past their primes.

"Two old goats out there doing the best they can and having fun with it," Martinez said. "I don't have enough words to describe how excited I am about being here. This is just a great gift to me."

Martinez, who sat out the first half of the season and joined the Phillies in mid-July, will be trying to push the Series to a Game 7 for the first time since 2002.

"I think he's ready. I think he's kind of peaking at the right time. He didn't have any spring training, went a half a year, didn't pitch, and he had to work himself up," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "He's starting to get stretched out. The more he throws, the better he's getting. Yeah, he's capable of throwing a real good game."

Updated November 3, 2009