Yankees knock Phils off throne in Game 6

In winning a second straight National League title, the resilient Phils overcame many problems in 2009: Their ace and closer were rarely comfortable, their offense endured prolonged slumps, and their spring was interrupted by the death of longtime broadcaster Harry Kalas.

After all that, the question facing the Phils in April was relevant again in the World Series: Did they have enough pitching?

In this Series, the Phils' arms could not match the Yankees' bats. "When they needed that big inning, they were able to get that inning," Victorino said. "They always had that big hit."

Said manager Charlie Manuel, who gathered his players after the game to say he was proud of them: "We kind of sputtered a little bit."

Against a powerful Yankees team, the staff appeared fatally thin last night. The issue began with Martinez, a midseason acquisition. One of the pitcher's favorite phrases since he arrived in July has been "old goat," typically used in reference to himself.

On Tuesday, he promoted last night's game as a face-off of old goats; indeed, Martinez, 38, and Pettitte, 37, first faced each other on May 31, 1998. Both are nearing the end of long and memorable careers, and both were still effective enough this year to be trusted in their teams' most important game of the season.

Throughout his four innings, Martinez had little to offer. He threw his first fastball of the night to Matsui in the second, after walking Alex Rodriguez to begin the inning. Matsui crushed the 87-m.p.h. offering over the right-field wall, but foul.

The Yankees' designated hitter, seeking his first championship in possibly his final season with the club, found another fastball that he liked on a 3-2 count. This one arrived at 89 m.p.h., and landed in the second deck of the right-field seats. It was Matsui's second home run off Martinez during this Series. The righthander did not allow another batter to reach in the second, but he used 24 pitches in the inning, and never appeared strong.

The Phils scored a retaliatory run in the third. Carlos Ruiz bashed a one-out triple off the wall in left-center, and scored on Jimmy Rollins' sacrifice fly. That made it 2-1 Yankees, and suggested that the Phillies might not fold easily.

But Martinez encountered major issues with his command, and soon fell further behind. With one out in the third, Derek Jeter poked a ball into shallow center that dropped in front of the typically steady Victorino. Martinez then walked Johnny Damon, and hit Mark Teixeira with a pitch.

That brought up Rodriguez with the bases loaded. Home plate umpire Joe West ruled Rodriguez out on a 1-2 slider out of the strike zone, but Martinez could not take advantage of the favorable call. He allowed Matsui to hit a two-run single, lifting the Yankees' lead to 4-1.

Pettitte, starting his 40th postseason game, was more effective in overcoming his own problems with control. Staring in at hitters with a familiar pose - glove lowered just below steely eyes - the lefthander walked two in the fourth, after breezing through Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. But he got Pedro Feliz to strike out, ending the threat and bringing the Phils one inning closer to the end of their year.

Despite his struggles, Martinez kept the game close, and rebounded by retiring the bottom of the Yankees' order in a perfect fourth that ended his night.

"I didn't get the performance I wanted, and we ended up losing the game," Martinez said. "But I'm extremely proud, and I had fun."

Relievers Chad Durbin and J.A. Happ increased the deficit in the bottom of the inning. Durbin allowed a double to Jeter and a run-scoring single to Teixeira. Happ relieved him, and surrendered a two-run double to Matsui that made it 7-1. Howard hit a too-late, two-run homer in the sixth.

In the clubhouse afterward, players were disappointed but proud. "Not too many teams that win the World Series are able to come back the next year," Victorino said.

"We got outplayed," said ace Cliff Lee. "But this is the next-best thing."

"It's a great group of players to be associated with," said pitcher Joe Blanton.

Manuel, ever the proud parent, wished his team a happy off-season. "I told them to go home and have a great winter, and enjoy their holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I'll see them in spring training," Manuel said.

Closer Brad Lidge, whose unhappy year is over, said he would be eager to play by then.

"Somewhere after New Year's," Lidge said, "the juices get going, and you want to get back out there."

or amartino@phillynews.com.