Getty ImagesYankees manager Joe Girardi made several moves that paid off.
Molina made his fourth straight postseason start catching Burnett. He had eyed Werth taking a big lead.
“I saw the ball in the dirt,” Molina said. “He’s still far from the bag, so I just threw it, just whipped it there, see what happens. Maybe he shortens his lead up for the next time. We might get a ground-ball double play or something. But I got lucky.”
Jerry Hairston Jr. made his first postseason start for the Yankees as the replacement for right fielder Nick Swisher, batting just .114 (4 for 35) in the postseason. He singled off Martinez in the seventh, and pinch-runner Brett Gardner went to third on Melky Cabrera’s hit-and-run single before scoring on Posada’s hit.
That helped make up for another off night by Alex Rodriguez. After carrying the Yankees in the playoffs against the Twins and Angels, he is 0 for 8 in his first Series appearance and struck out three times for the second straight night.
“The fact that I’m 0-fer in this Series and we’re 1-1 makes me feel good,” he said.
Pitching four days past his 38th birthday, Martinez fooled the Yankees with breaking pitches of 70-75 mph. He allowed three runs and six hits in six-plus innings, striking out eight and walking two.
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“I know they really want to root for me. It’s just that I don’t play for the Yankees, that’s all,” said Martinez, who hasn’t been feeling well and was winded. “They love the fact that I compete. I’m a New Yorker, as well. If I was on the Yankees, I’d probably be like a king over here.”
When the Series resumes, Cole Hamels starts Game 3 for the Phillies against Andy Pettitte in an all-lefty matchup. Both teams will be making the trip through New Jersey by train.
Twenty-eight of the 53 teams that won Game 2 to tie the Series went on to win the title — but just one of the last six, the 2002 Angels.
“Our club has been resilient all year,” Girardi said. “The one thing that we’ve been able to do is we’ve went through some tough losses and we’ve seemed to bounce back. It was just business as usual for us today.”
Notes: There was another umpiring controversy. With two on and one out in the seventh, first base ump Brian Gorman ruled Howard reached down, caught Johnny Damon’s liner and threw to second for a double play. A slow-motion replay appeared to show the first baseman trapped the ball. ... Utley walked in the second and has reached in a record 27 consecutive postseason games since going 0 for 4 in his debut in 2007. ... Phillies LF Raul Ibanez made a diving catch on Robinson Cano with a runner at first in the second to prevent a possible RBI double. ... Howard had not struck out four times since July 21.
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