Tony DeMarco

PHILADELPHIA - The Yankees were seven outs away from a commanding 3-1 World Series lead and validation of their pedal-to-the-metal starting pitching plan.

But the Phillies threw a temporary twist into the plot, and the latter stages of a 7-4 Yankees victory in Game 4 on Sunday night in Citizens Bank Park had nothing to do with rotation decisions and starters' pitch counts.

Instead, it came down to a gritty at-bat, an infield shift, stolen bases, the continuing postseason coming-out party for Alex Rodriguez, and a ninth-inning Brad Lidge meltdown. And as always, Mariano Rivera.

This series belongs to the Yankees, alright, and they could put it away with one more victory in Game 5 on Monday for a sweep at Citizens Bank Park.

If so, their return trip to New York would be for a victory parade, not a Game 6. Here's how they got there — even after they saw a 4-2 seventh-inning lead with ace CC Sabathia on the mound evaporate.

Other than Chase Utley, Sabathia (1.98 postseason ERA) hasn't had much trouble with any of the Phillies hitters in his two starts in this series. The numbers say it all — Utley: 4 for 6, three homers 4 RBI against the Yankees ace. Everybody else in the Phillies lineup: 7 for 45 with one RBI.

So sure enough, it was Utley who chased Sabathia with a two-out, solo homer in the bottom of the seventh that cut the Yankees' lead to 4-3.

Damaso Marte got the final out, and Joba Chamberlain blew through two hitters in the bottom of the eighth before making a mistake — specifically a belt-high fastball that Pedro Feliz belted for a game-tying homer.

All which set up the fateful top of the ninth, which also went to two outs and nobody on before Johnny Damon singled to left to end a nine-pitch at-bat that Alex Rodriguez called, 'unbelievable, tenacious'.

Damon described it this way: “(Lidge) got ahead of me 0-2. I kept chasing that slider down. I was able to force it to 3-2, and I kept sitting slider, and he kept throwing the fastball.

“They always tell you to look fastball, but I felt like his slider made me look silly. So I sat slider and reacted to the fastball. He threw three fastballs in a row, and I got enough of the last one to get it over shortstop and in front of Raul (Ibanez).''

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Knowing Lidge's slow delivery to the plate, plus the need to get into scoring position quickly in the count, Damon took off on the first pitch and stole second.

Then with third baseman Pedro Feliz covering second due to the shift employed on Mark Teixeira, Damon saw that neither Lidge nor catcher Carlos Ruiz was in position to take a throw at third, so Damon streaked there with Feliz in futile pursuit. Score it two stolen bases on one continuous play.

“That's instinct,'' manager Joe Girardi said. “You have to be sure you can make it with Teix and Alex coming up. I thought it was a great instinctual play by Johnny Damon.''

Nothing against Damon, but Phillies manager Charlie Manuel had a different view.

“There was a miscommunication there,'' Manuel said. “That's the first time we've had it happen to us this year, but at the same time, somebody has to be covering third base. The catcher usually has to get down there.''

The quick turn of events seemed to rattle Lidge, whose two-season roller-coaster ride has been well-chronicled: A perfect 48-for-48 in saves in 2008, a knee injury, 11 blown saves and 7.21 ERA in the 2009 regular season, then a brief return to form of late (four scoreless innings in five playoff appearances). But now he was pitching after an 11-day layoff.

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