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Down 3-1, good luck with that, Cliff Lee. Perhaps that might have been more useful down 2-1?

At any rate, the Yankees get good work from CC Sabathia on three days rest, and overcome a shaky bullpen by beating Philly’s shaky bullpen late in the best game of the series from a big moments perspective. And, because it is now relevant, the six times that a team has erased a three games to one deficit in the World Series.

Mike Lupica with a few words on Alex Rodriguez and a few more on the heady play by Johnny Damon in getting to third while stealing second in the ninth. With two outs, that mattered because it would make it a little harder for Brad Lidge to unleash the slider. Wild pitch concerns and what not. One batter later, Rodriguez was playing hero.

So now the Phillies look to stay alive behind their ace, while Joe Girardi rides the short rest train and AJ Burnett tonight in Game 5, Pettitte and Sabathia if necessary for the rest of the series. Yankees well established on the high ground at this point.

(great pic from the NY Daily News as the crowd arrives last night)

AJ Burnett makes that contract pay off, as, let’s face it, Yankees players get a good chunk of their free agent money to show up in October. 7 innings, 1 run, 9 Ks, and a general pumping first pitch strikes machine all night. There is good Burnett and bad Burnett. Good Burnett showed up with a vengeance last night. And, by so doing, squares the series 1-1.

Pivotal moment in another tight game? Mariano Rivera inducing a double play from game one hero Chase Utley with two on, one out, and the Phils down one in the 8th. Good stuff.

Now, after two games where Lee, Sabathia, Burnett, and Pedro put the collective bats of two potent line-ups on general ice, the teams head to Philly for the weekend. At some point, an offensive awakening is coming in what looks, for all the world, like a series that might actually be classic.