Matsui homer, 4 RBIs give Yankees early 4-1 lead over Phillies in World Series Game 6

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Matsui’s 4 RBIs give Yanks early lead in Game 6

NEW YORK — Hideki Matsui drove in four runs with a two-run homer and two-run single off Pedro Martinez, and the New York Yankees led the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 after three innings in Game 6 on Wednesday night as they tried to wrap up their 27th championship.

Matsui’s third homer of the Series gave New York a 2-0 lead in the second inning. Philadelphia, which fought off elimination by winning 8-6 in Game 5, got a run back in the third on Jimmy Rollins’ sacrifice fly. Matsui hit a bases-loaded single with two outs in the third.

He is 7 for 11 (.636) with six RBIs in the Series and 9 for 19 (.474) against Martinez in postseason play.

Starting on three days’ rest following a start for the first time since September 2006, Andy Pettitte allowed two hits in the first three innings, walked one and struck out none. The 37-year-old left-hander won the division series and league championship series clinchers, then beat the Phillies in Game 3 to increase his record for postseason wins to 17.

Martinez, the Game 2 loser, once again was greeted by chants of “Who’s your daddy!” by Yankees fans, reminding him of a quote from his days with the rival Red Sox. He gave up three hits in the first three innings, struck out four and walked two, throwing 62 pitches.

New York sustained another injury when left fielder Johnny Damon left after the third inning because of a strained right calf. He was replaced by Jerry Hairston Jr.

It was 47 degrees at gametime and only the second time the Series extended to Nov. 4. The first was for Game 7 of the 2001 Series, delayed by the 9/11 terrorist attacks. That was the night Arizona rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth against Mariano Rivera, ending the Yankees’ streak of three straight titles when Luis Gonzalez blooped a single over a drawn-in infield. The Yankees haven’t come as close to the title since.

Newly re-elected Mayor Michael Bloomberg was in the first row behind home plate and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani sat next to the Yankees dugout.

Just six of 43 teams facing 3-1 deficits in a best-of-seven World Series have gone on to win the title, and five straight have failed since Kansas City rallied past St. Louis in 1985. The only ones to make the comeback winning Games 6 and 7 on the road were the 1958 Yankees against the Milwaukee Braves, the 1968 Detroit Tigers against St. Louis and the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates against Baltimore.

CC Sabathia would start Game 7 for the Yankees, scheduled for Thursday night. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel wouldn’t identify his starter; his choice appeared to be between Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels.

Shane Victorino, playing after getting hit on the right index finger by a pitch in Game 5, reached on an infield single with one out in the first, a two-hopper to the third-base side that Pettitte picked up without making a throw. Chase Utley then grounded into a 4-6-3 double play, with first baseman Mark Teixeira making a nice stretch to grab Derek Jeter’s off-line throw and get a toe back on the base.

Martinez retired the side in order in the bottom half, throwing no pitch faster than 84 mph. Teixeira ended the inning with a flyout to the warning track in right.

Pettitte walked Jayson Werth with one out in the second, then shattered Raul Ibanez’s bat on a pop to short right and, after a wild pitch, retired Pedro Feliz on a foulout to catcher Jorge Posada.

Martinez walked Alex Rodriguez leading off the second and then battled Matsui to a full count. After hooking two deep fouls, on the eighth pitch of the at-bat, Matsui drove an 87-88 mph fastball into the second deck in right field — over the ad of Komatsu, a Japanese construction and mining equipment company — just a few feet fair.

Philadelphia got a run right back in the third when No. 9 hitter Carlos Ruiz tripled off the left-center field wall with one out — the ball hit the top of a Dunkin’ Donuts sign and kicked back toward center. Ruiz scored easily on Rollins’ sacrifice fly.

New York loaded the bases with one out in the third. Jeter singled to center on a ball Victorino went back on, then ran in and trapped, Damon walked and Teixeira was hit on a leg with a pitch.

With left-hander J.A. Happ warming up, Rodriguez took a called third strike on a pitch he thought was outside, then had words with plate umpire Joe West. Matsui lined an 0-1 pitch just foul down the right-field line and lined a single to center on the next pitch to drive in two runs.