Phillies top Yankees, stay alive

Charlie Manuel was smiling in his office, 16 hours after his team handed the New York Yankees a nearly insurmountable lead in the World Series.

"I feel fine," the Phillies' manager said, leaning back in the chair behind his desk. "Ready to go. Looking forward to it. . . . We came to the ballpark to win today."

On this team, Manuel sets the mood. The manager did not need to hold a meeting or deliver a speech; his players knew him too well. They knew that he expected them to worry only about playing a focused baseball game, and have fun doing it.

That in-the-moment mind-set has always been the team's strength during the Manuel era, and it allowed the Phils to extend their season last night. They defeated the New York Yankees, 8-6, in Game 5 of the World Series, and now trail by three games to two. The Series moves back to New York tomorrow, when Pedro Martinez will start for the Phils, and Andy Pettitte will likely pitch for the Yanks.

"It's always important to have fun," said Chase Utley, whose two home runs decided the game. "It all starts with Charlie and the way he talks to us every day. He has a fun attitude, and it carries over."

The Phils won despite falling behind in the first inning, and suffering through a sweaty finish finally completed by Ryan Madson. They did it despite Brad Lidge's potentially dispiriting ninth inning the night before, in which Johnny Damon outlasted the Phils' closer in an at-bat and stole two bases while the infield bumbled. They did it because of another strong performance by Cliff Lee, until the ace tired in the eighth and allowed three runs.

Lidge did not have the chance to atone for Sunday's loss, and Madson created a nervous ninth. He allowed a double to Jorge Posada and a single to Hideki Matsui, but he got Derek Jeter to hit into a run-scoring double play.

After the persistent Damon singled, Mark Teixeira struck out to end the game.

Manuel said that he still saw Lidge as his closer, but that the pitcher needed a break after his difficult game. "Lidge has been our closer," Manuel said. "That's how I see him."

Ultimately, the win was made possible by Utley's two home runs, which tied him with Reggie Jackson for the most in a World Series, with five. Jackson accomplished the feat in 1977, playing for the team the Phils beat last night.

"He has the most desire and passion to play the game that I've ever been around," Manuel said of his second baseman.

In the first minutes of this game, the Yankees appeared ready to romp. Their early offense came from the two players who snatched Game 3 from Lidge. Damon began this rally with a one-out single to center. After Teixeira flied out, Alex Rodriguez, whose double scored Damon in the ninth on Sunday, drove in the leftfielder with another double. Before escaping the inning, Lee walked Nick Swisher, and threw an uncharacteristically inefficient eight balls in 19 first-inning pitches.

"I don't think my command was as good as it has been," Lee said. "Fortunately, we scored a lot of runs, and that made things easier."

A.J. Burnett's shutdown pitching in Game 2 reversed the tone of the Series after the Phils took the opener, but the Yanks' starter gave his opponents fresh life last night. Jimmy Rollins hit a leadoff single, and when Shane Victorino squared to bunt, Burnett whacked him on the hand with an inside fastball.

Phils pitchers plunked Rodriguez three times in the previous two games, so the Victorino play drew pointed jeers from the crowd and barking from the player. Victorino left the game in the eighth; X-rays showed no fracture, and Manuel was uncertain of his status.

Utley batted next, and provided the game's defining moment: The second baseman crushed a curveball that arrived on the outer part of the strike zone.

The three-run homer gave the Phils an important early lead, and signaled to the Yankees that a clinching celebration would not come easily.

Burnett's struggles were far more pronounced than Lees'. After 44 pitches, he had thrown an equal number of balls and strikes; soon after, he was gone. The righthander walked Utley and Ryan Howard to begin the third and suffered for it by allowing a Jayson Werth single that made it 4-1.

Raul Ibanez followed by bashing a single to right that scored Utley and ended Yankees manager Joe Girardi's experiment of starting Burnett on three days rest. Reliever David Robertson entered and got Pedro Feliz to pop up and Carlos Ruiz to ground into a run-scoring fielder's choice. The inning ended with the Phils leading, 6-1.

With Lee handed a generous lead, his pace accelerated, and he blew through Swisher, Robinson Cano and Brett Gardner in the fourth. He pitched well until the eighth, when Manuel decided to use him despite a pitch count over 100 and a six-run lead.

"Was I thinking about taking him out? Somewhat," Manuel said. "But . . . I wasn't ready to take him out."

Utley and Ibanez both hit solo homers in the seventh.

The eighth and ninth saw Phils pitchers allow four runs, leaving Manuel grateful for Utley's season-saving contributions.

"I don't want to embarrass him or nothing," the manager said. "But sometimes I tell our players, 'Just play with Chase.' Because if you play with Chase, you've got a chance to be a pretty good player."

Contact staff writer Andy Martino at 215-854-4874 or amartino@phillynews.com.