DUGOUT: Philadelphia's World Series chances remain slim

After forcing the first Game 6 since 2003, the Philadelphia Phillies are taking the World Series back to Yankee Stadium.

While their chances can at best be described as “slim,” the Phillies remain hopeful that they can win two straight in a stadium where the New York Yankees went 57-24 during the regular season. Facing a 3-2 deficit, losing just one game will end Philadelphia’s season.

New York put itself in this prime position after winning the crucial Game 4. Receiving the highest television rating for a World Series game since 2004, Game 4 put the Yankees one win away from their 27th title.

Largely due to manager Charlie Manuel’s decision to allow Lee to throw all nine innings of Game 1, Philadelphia’s newly acquired ace wasn’t able to pitch in Game 4. This may or may not have had an impact, as the game was tied heading into the ninth inning.

Johnny Damon should be awarded the most credit for the win that gave New York a 3-1 series advantage. With the score tied in the ninth inning, Damon stole second base. Jumping up from his successful slide, Damon surprised everybody and took off for third base.

Philadelphia had implemented the shift defense against Mark Teixeira, who was batting, and had just one infielder on the left side of the baseball diamond. The Phillies' third baseman, Pedro Feliz, had covered second base on the steal attempt, and there was no one remotely close to third base.

In an almost instantaneous decision, Damon calculated the potential risk of being the inning-ending out against the potential gain of being safe at third base. Damon decided to test his 35-year-old legs and won the footrace between Lidge and Feliz and eventually became the go-ahead run.

Lee pitched an effective Game 5 on Monday night, guiding the Phillies to an 8-6 victory behind the powerful bat of Chase Utley, who launched his fourth and fifth home runs, tying Reggie Jackson’s record for most home runs in a single World Series.

Tonight, the Yankees will hand the ball to Andy Pettitte, who has had just three days of rest. During Pettitte’s 15-year career, he has amassed a 4.21 ERA during regular season starts after three days of rest. In the postseason, though, Pettitte has a 2.94 ERA during five games on short rest.

Pedro Martinez will take the mound for Philadelphia on regular rest. With their backs against the proverbial wall, the Phillies will rely on the hot bats of Utley and Jayson Werth and hope that Ryan Howard (12 strikeouts in 19 at-bats this World Series) turns his play around.

If the Phils are able to pull off the upset tonight, their chances to win their second consecutive World Series title will still be alive, but they will still have to get through CC Sabathia in Game 7.

Andrew Kneeland is a junior at the Arizona Virtual Academy. He is an intern at the Green Valley News.