The Yankees will begin play in their 40th World Series - and first since 2003 - Wednesday at Yankee Stadium, where the largest crowd of the season erupted after the clutch pitching of lefty Andy Pettitte and a timely hit by Johnny Damon were enough to finish off the Angels.

"They're really tough. They're the defending champs," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said of the Phillies. "They've been playing extremely well. They have a lot of offense. We know they're an extremely tough opponent."

The Yankees will be going after their 27th World Series championship, which is why Girardi chose No. 27 for his uniform when he was hired before the 2008 season.

The first game of the World Series promises a fascinating pitching duel between the Phillies' Cliff Lee and the Yankees' CC Sabathia, former teammates with the Cleveland Indians. The two lefthanders have been the top two pitchers during the postseason. Sabathia was named MVP of the ALCS after going 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA. He's 3-0 in the postseason.

"From day one in spring training, you could tell this was going to be a special year for us," Sabathia said.

The Phils will have much to contend with against a Yankees club that has more than its ace pitcher at the top of his game.

Alex Rodriguez continued to shed his image as a postseason flop. A-Rod has five home runs and 12 RBIs in the first postseason in which he has produced since the Yankees made him the game's highest-paid player. Rodriguez had an RBI last night when he walked with the bases loaded. He also had a pair of singles to raise his postseason batting average to .438.

"I think the biggest difference [from last season] is we had players play big," Girardi said. "CC was huge for us. Alex was huge for us. Mariano [Rivera] was huge for us. We had great starting pitching the whole series. We've had big players do big things and that's why we're going to the World Series."

Derek Jeter, the consummate leader who had four World Series rings after his first five full seasons in the big leagues, is 35 and hungry for another because he has been waiting nine years for the fifth ring.

The Yankees believe they have an answer for Ryan Howard with their own power-hitting first baseman, Mark Teixeira, who stretched the Yanks' lead to 5-2 with a sacrifice fly in the ninth.

Then there's Rivera, widely recognized as the greatest closer in the history of the game. Girardi passed over setup man Phil Hughes and entrusted Rivera with the final two innings last night, and things got a bit anxious in the New York dugout when Rivera gave up a run in the eighth that brought the Angels within 3-2.

It was the first run allowed by Rivera in the postseason at Yankee Stadium since Game 2 of the 2000 World Series against the Mets. The 39-year-old righthander went on to get the save.

The Yankees were aided by some sloppy fielding and baserunning by the Angels, a club that prides itself on executing the fundamentals. Two ninth-inning errors on sacrifice bunts helped give the Yankees breathing room with two unearned runs.

The home-field advantage the Yankees will have against the Phillies could prove significant. The Yankees have won an astonishing 36 of 44 home games since the all-star break. They are 6-0 in the Bronx during the postseason.

With Angels starter Joe Saunders laboring to find the strike zone, the Yankees had a chance to blow open the game in their three-run fourth inning. Damon erased a 1-0 Angels lead with a two-run single. Saunders walked Rodriguez with the bases loaded, and that was it for the lefthander, who gave home-plate umpire Dale Scott an incredulous look after the pitch that walked A-Rod.

The win was the 16th in the postseason for the 37-year-old Pettitte, breaking the record of 15 he shared with John Smoltz.

When Game 6 was postponed Saturday night because of rain, Girardi was given the opportunity to start Sabathia on full rest. But Girardi stayed with Pettitte.

As far as Girardi was concerned, Pettitte had reached his limit after Juan Rivera singled with one out in the seventh. Pettitte received a standing ovation as he left the mound and acknowledged the crowd with a tip of his cap. He'd done his part by holding the Angels to one run while striking out six and walking one. Meanwhile, Joba Chamberlain got through the inning with no damage.

The Yankees are 11-2 in AL Championship Series and 7-1 since the format went to best-of-seven. Also, they are 33-13 all-time in best-of-seven series.

Last night's game ended too late for this edition. For coverage, go to http://go.philly.com/sports

Contact staff writer Ray Parrillo at 215-854-2743 or rparrillo@phillynews.com.