Baseball

WORLD SERIES: GAME 6

By Paul Sokoloski psokoloski@timesleader.com
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NEW YORK - They’re back home in the Bronx, in their luxurious new ballpark, with 50,000 expected supporters and an unmatched history of success on their side.

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How nervous can the New York Yankees be?

Not very.

Mark Teixeira yawned in the clubhouse, Brett Gardner laid out an aggressive game plan and Derek Jeter headed straight to the practice field Tuesday during a World Series workout day at the new Yankee Stadium.

It’s business as usual for the Yankees, who have made it their business to win their 27th world championship tonight when they host the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 6, which begins at 7:57 p.m. in New York with Philadelphia’s Pedro Martinez on the mound against Andy Pettitte.

“We know we’re up in this series. Our job is to win,” said Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon, who’s been a pain in Philadelphia’s side all series. “We feel good about taking two of three (games) in Philly. We feel good we’re up.”

The Yankees were up big in the series, three games to one, after Damon’s single and two stolen bases in the top of the ninth inning Sunday triggered a three-run rally that gave New York a 7-4 victory.

But the Phillies cut into that deficit with an 8-6 victory Monday, preventing the Yankees from closing out the series and sending it back to Yankee Stadium for Game 6 tonight and a possible Game 7 Thursday.

“We lost a game,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi shrugged. “That’s going to happen. We’re playing a very good team. But it is what it is. You have a chance to do it (tonight).”

Most of his players took the same approach, and in fact were inspired - not demoralized - by a defeat where they trailed 8-2 in the eighth inning yet still brought the potential tying run to the plate in the final frame.

“We had a chance to tie that game up,” Yankees right fielder Nick Swisher said. “But we’re back here. Obviously, this ballpark has been very good to us. We’re still confident. We’re still in a great spot.”

Even the Phillies recognize that.

Fighting for their World Series lives, the Phillies used two home runs Monday by Chase Utley - who matched Reggie Jackson’s mesmerizing 1977 slugging performance to join Mr. October as the only players to hit five home runs in the same World Series - to extend the series to Game 6.

But it only gave the Phillies one win, and they still need to win twice to complete a championship comeback.

“It’s still 3-2,” Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino said. “All they’ve got to do is win one ballgame. We’ve got to win two.”

The Yankees don’t plan on giving Philadelphia that chance.

“Any time you have a close-out game, you want to close it out,” Girardi said. “But it takes more than just wanting to do it. So you go for it (today).”

Tonight’s Matchup

7:57 p.m., FOX