Rodriguez winds up with homer on first World Series replay review, Yanks lead Phils 6-4 thru 6

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A-Rod, Yankees win replay reversal, lead Phils

PHILADELPHIA — Alex Rodriguez wound up with a home run after the first video replay review in World Series history, and the New York Yankees quickly reversed their fortunes by taking a 6-4 lead over Philadelphia through six innings of Game 3 on Saturday night.

Playing on Halloween, both teams had plenty of monsters at the plate. Jayson Werth had two solo homers for the defending champion Phillies.

The game began after a rain delay of 1 hour, 20 minutes, and started with the Series tied at 1-all. Drizzle returned as the teams went to the top of the seventh.

Down 3-0 and held hitless by lefty Cole Hamels, the Yankees suddenly broke loose behind Rodriguez. Nick Swisher homered later and pitcher Andy Petttitte helped out with an RBI single, drawing pro-New York chants at Citizens Bank Park.

After Mark Teixeira drew a one-out walk in the fourth, Rodriguez sliced a high fly down the right-field line. The ball bounced back onto the field and Rodriguez held at second base, but twirled his hand to indicate a home run.

Either way, it was Rodriguez’s first Series hit. But A-Rod and the Yanks wanted more.

Manager Joe Girardi came out, the umpires huddled and four of them went in for a closer look. Less than a minute later, they ruled the ball hit a camera above the wall and the Yankees were within a run.

Major League Baseball started using replay in August 2008 to review possible home runs. The first time umpires used it last year, they upheld a home run by Rodriguez at Tampa Bay.

Rodriguez’s sixth homer this October matched the Yankees’ postseason record, and ended his 0-for-8 Series slump that included six strikeouts.

The Yankees scored three runs in the fifth to take a 5-3 lead and chase Hamels, MVP of the World Series last year. Swisher doubled and scored on Pettitte’s single — the first RBI by a Yankees pitcher in the Series since Jim Bouton in 1964 — and Johnny Damon lined a two-run double. Pettitte had been 1 for 13 in Series play before the hit.

Fox showed a replay of Derek Jeter talking to plate umpire Brian Gorman after the pitcher’s solid single. “We’re going to have to listen to Pettitte now. He’s been bragging about his hitting all year,” Jeter said.

The Phils had won 11 of 12 postseason games at home dating to last season.

Werth led off the second by knocking a full-count pitch far over the left-field wall. A perfect bunt single by Hamels set up a bases-loaded walk to Jimmy Rollins, and Shane Victorino’s sacrifice fly made it 3-0.

Pettitte holds the postseason record with 16 wins, yet was 3-4 in Series play.

As they did in the first two games at Yankee Stadium, New York tried to control the pace of play. There were a series of pitcher-catcher meetings and a bunch of pickoff throws.

Wet weather again intruded on a World Series game in Philly. Last year, the Phillies’ clinching Game 5 was suspended by a storm for two days, prompting Major League Baseball to revise its rules, assuring there would be no rain-shortened games in the postseason.

Game 4 is Sunday night when Yankees ace CC Sabathia pitches on three days’ rest against Joe Blanton. The weather should be fine, with clear skies and temperatures in the 40s in the forecast.