2009

The 2009 World Series was the 105th edition of Major League Baseball's championship series. The best-of-seven playoff was contested between the Philadelphia Phillies, champions of the National League (NL) and the defending World Series champions, and the New York Yankees, champions of the American League (AL). The two franchises had previously met in the 1950 World Series, in which the Yankees swept the Phillies four games to none. The Yankees defeated the Phillies in 2009, four games to two, to win the franchise's 27th World Series championship. The series was played between October 28 and November 4, 2009, broadcast on Fox, and watched by an average of roughly 19 million viewers.

Home field advantage for the Series went to the American League for the eighth straight year as a result of the its 4–3 win in the All-Star Game.The Phillies earned their berth into the playoffs by winning the National League East. The Yankees won the American League East to earn their berth, posting the best record in the Major Leagues. The Phillies reached the World Series by defeating the Colorado Rockies in the best-of-five National League Division Series, and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the best-of-seven Championship Series (NLCS). The Yankees defeated the Minnesota Twins in the American League Division Series and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the Championship Series (ALCS), to advance to their first World Series since 2003. Several records were tied, extended, or broken during this World Series, including team championships (Yankees with 27), career postseason wins (Andy Pettitte with 18), home runs in a World Series (Chase Utley with 5), strikeouts in a World Series (Ryan Howard with 13), career saves in the World Series (Mariano Rivera with 11), and runs batted in (RBI) in a single World Series game (Hideki Matsui with 6).

Cliff Lee brought the Phillies victory in Game 1, allowing one unearned run during his complete game win. Solo home runs by Mark Teixeira and Matsui helped the Yankees to a Game 2 win. Game 3 featured more offense, with a combined six home runs and 13 total runs ultimately resulting in a Yankees victory following a rain delayed start. The Yankees won Game 4 after scoring the decisive three runs in the ninth inning, helped by Johnny Damon's baserunning. The Phillies avoided elimination by winning Game 5 on the back of Utley's second two-home run game of the series. The Yankees secured their World Series victory by winning Game 6, as Matsui tied the record for most RBI in a World Series game with six. He was named Most Valuable Player of the series, making him the first Japanese-born player and the first full-time designated hitter to win the award.

 Route to the series

 Philadelphia Phillies

During the off-season the Phillies named Rubén Amaro, Jr. general manager, replacing Pat Gillick who retired at the end of a three-year contract.Their most notable offseason player change was in left field, as Pat Burrell departed due to free agency and was replaced by free agent Raúl Ibáñez. Another notable acquisition was free agent pitcher Chan Ho Park. Park was originally signed as an insurance policy for the bullpen, as reliever J. C. Romero was assigned a 50-game suspension after violating the Major League Baseball drug policy, but Park won the fifth starter's job in Spring Training.

During the regular season, the Phillies led the National League East for most of the year, taking first place for good on May 30. The Phillies made one large acquisition at the trade deadline, trading four minor league players to the Cleveland Indians for pitcher Cliff Lee and outfielder Ben Francisco. They finished the season with a record of 93–69 (.574), six games above the second-place Florida Marlins.

The Phillies defeated the wild card-winning Colorado Rockies in the National League Division Series (NLDS), three games to one, advancing to the National League Championship Series (NLCS). Facing the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Phillies won the NLCS, four games to one, becoming the first team to repeat as National League champions since the 1995–96 Atlanta Braves. They became the first World Series champion to return to the World Series the following year since the 2000–01 New York Yankees. They also became the first major professional sports champion team from Philadelphia to return to their league's championship series the next year since the 1975–76 Flyers went to the Stanley Cup Finals.

 New York Yankees

The Yankees celebrate Derek Jeter breaking their franchise career hits record.

The Yankees' offseason began in November 2008 with control over their organization shifting from long-time owner George Steinbrenner to his son Hal Steinbrenner. Notable player departures included Mike Mussina—who announced his retirement on November 20, 2008—as well as Bobby Abreu, Jason Giambi, and Carl Pavano, who all left as free agents. Notable free agent acquisitions included starting pitchers CC Sabathia and A. J. Burnett, and first baseman Mark Teixeira. Another major addition was outfielder Nick Swisher, acquired in a trade with the Chicago White Sox.

The Yankees won the American League East with an eight-game lead over their rivals, the Boston Red Sox, compiling a record of 103–59. Sabathia had a strong season, winning 19 games, while position players Alex Rodriguez and Teixeira had strong seasons offensively, Rodriguez with 30 home runs and 100 runs batted in (RBI) and Teixeira with 39 and 122 respectively. Closing pitcher Mariano Rivera earned his 500th save against the Yankees cross-town rival New York Mets, becoming the second pitcher in history to do so. On September 11, 2009, shortstop Derek Jeter recorded his 2,722nd career hit, passing Lou Gehrig to become the Yankees' all-time leader in career hits.

The Yankees defeated the Minnesota Twins in three games in the American League Division Series (ALDS) and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in six games in the American League Championship Series (ALCS) to win their first American League pennant since 2003. Sabathia was named MVP of the ALCS with two wins in the series. The Yankees' victory in the ALCS earned them their 40th World Series appearance in franchise history, and their first since losing to the Florida Marlins in 2003.

 Series preview

The matchup between the Phillies and Yankees was heavily discussed and analyzed in the media prior to the beginning of the series. Both teams' offensive lineups were heavily touted, with the Yankees and Phillies leading their respective leagues in runs scored per game.Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez drew particular focus in the media for his success in earlier rounds of the 2009 playoffs in contrast to past postseason performances. The two lineups featured 20 former All-Stars and 3 former MVP award winners. Only one regular starter between both teams, Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz, did not have at least 10 home runs during the 2009 regular season. The two teams combined for 468 home runs during the season, more than any pair of opponents in World Series history.

The pitching staffs were also the subject of significant discussion prior to the series. The starting pitchers for Game 1, CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee, were described as "aces" who "dominated" the 2009 postseason with a 0.96 earned run average (ERA) between them. This matchup was of particular note, as Sabathia and Lee were former teammates from the Cleveland Indians and both had won a Cy Young Award with that franchise.Yankees manager Joe Girardi had been using a three-man starting rotation during the playoffs, in contrast to the four-pitcher rotation of the Phillies. This difference led USA Today to give the Phillies' starting rotation the "edge" in the series, as the World Series had one fewer day off than previous rounds of the playoffs, making it more conducive to the Phillies' strategy. Gene Wojciechowski of ESPN criticized Girardi's strategy, arguing that Chad Gaudin should have pitched in Game 5 or 6, instead of A. J. Burnett or Andy Pettitte on reduced, three days rest. Wojciechowski argued that while Sabathia had proven his ability to pitch on shorter rest, Burnett and Pettitte should have been given their regular time between starts. Burnett had drawn some criticism, as he performed poorly in his last appearance before the World Series, a start in Game 5 of the ALCS in which he allowed six runs over six innings. Some believed Girardi settled on a three-man rotation because he had limited options for a fourth starting pitcher, either Gaudin or Joba Chamberlain, who had been "erratic" as a starter in the regular season and had been shifted into the bullpen for the postseason.

The matchup of closers, Mariano Rivera and Brad Lidge, also drew attention. Rivera and Lidge were the only two closers who had not blown a save during the 2009 postseason, whereas other closers blew 11 saves in the 24 postseason games leading up to the World Series. Both had performed well during the postseason, but Lidge had posted a 7.21 ERA during the 2009 regular season, in contrast to Rivera's 1.76. As a result, USA Today gave the Yankees the edge, noting that Lidge had blown two saves against the Yankees during their regular season series earlier that year.

The Series started on October 28, 2009, which was the latest start in World Series history. Game 4 was played on Sunday, November 1 and the series-winning Game 6 took place on November 4. The Series was only the third to end in a month other than October. The first came in 1918, which was played entirely in September after the regular season was cut short due to World War I. The other such series was in 2001—which involved the Yankees—after the September 11 attacks caused a delay in the season that eventually forced the end of the Series into November.

 Series overview

The Phillies won the previous season's World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays for the franchise's second championship. The Yankees lost their previous World Series appearance to the Florida Marlins in 2003 and had not won since 2000 against the New York Mets. This was the fifth Series played between teams from New York and Philadelphia, and was the first Yankees–Phillies matchup since 1950. The series was also the fourth consecutive time that the Phillies faced a team from the AL East in the World Series, and the Yankees had faced an NL East opponent in three of their four most recent World Series appearances. This World Series has been nicknamed the "Turnpike Series", for the New Jersey Turnpike, which connects New York to Philadelphia through the state of New Jersey.^[25] Major League Baseball nicknamed it the "Liberty Series", based on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia and the Statue of Liberty in New York.

Joe West, Dana DeMuth, Gerry Davis, Brian Gorman, Jeff Nelson, and Mike Everitt served as umpires for the series.The World Series crew had included at least one umpire who had never worked the World Series in 24 of the past 25 series; however, following several mistakes by umpires in earlier rounds of the playoffs, this crew did not.

Commissioner Bud Selig explored options to include a game during daylight instead of the evening, which had been rumored to be October 31 due to the Halloween holiday. He eventually opted to move the start times of the games before 8 p.m. ET for the first time in 30 years, and also rejected suggestions to play the games at neutral sites. The Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants played across the street from Citizens Bank Park at Lincoln Financial Field on the day of Game 4. The National Football League moved that game's kickoff time to 1 p.m. to avoid it ending too close to the start of Game 4. Similarly, Game 5 was played at Citizens Bank Park on the same day as the Philadelphia Flyers hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Wachovia Center. The opening faceoff of the hockey game was scheduled for 7 p.m. but the National Hockey League moved it to 5 p.m. to avoid conflict.

 Game 1

Phillies starting pitcher Cliff Lee, pictured in the 2009 regular season, became the first pitcher to ever throw a postseason series opener complete game against the Yankees without allowing an earned run.

Box score for Wednesday, October 28, 2009—7:57 p.m. (ET) at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, New York

Ceremonial first pitch of the World Series with Michelle Obama, Jill Biden, and Yogi Berra watching

Prior to the game, First Lady Michelle Obama and Second Lady Jill Biden escorted former Yankees catcher and World War II veteran Yogi Berra to the mound, where the ceremonial first pitch was thrown by a veteran of the Iraq War. The Phillies' Ryan Howard got the first hit of the 2009 World Series by doubling in the first inning. Howard was stranded in the first and the game was scoreless after two innings. The Phillies scored first with a two-out solo home run by Chase Utley in the top of the third inning. Through the first five innings, Philadelphia starting pitcher Cliff Lee allowed no runs and three hits, striking out seven Yankees batters. In the top of the sixth, Utley hit another solo home run to give the Phillies a 2–0 lead. The starting pitchers Lee and CC Sabathia continued until the top of the eighth when Sabathia was replaced by Phil Hughes. Hughes walked the first two batters and was replaced by Dámaso Marté. Marté got two quick outs and was relieved by David Robertson, who walked Jayson Werth and gave up a two-run single to Raúl Ibáñez. The Phillies added two more runs in the ninth with an RBI single by Shane Victorino and an RBI double by Howard.Lee finished with a complete game allowing one unearned run on six hits and striking out ten batters, not walking any of the hitters he faced.

Lee's pitching performance made history in several ways:

• This was the fourth postseason start of Lee's career. In all four starts, he went at least seven innings and gave up no more than one earned run. The only other starting pitcher ever to begin his postseason career with four such starts was Christy Mathewson from 1905 to 1911.
• He was also the first left-handed starter to beat the Yankees in The Bronx to open a World Series since Sandy Koufax in 1963.
• He was the first starting pitcher to throw a complete game without giving up an earned run against the Yankees in Game 1 of a postseason series.
• Finally, Lee was the first pitcher ever to strike out at least ten, walk no one, and give up no earned runs in a World Series start.

 Game 2

Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, pictured during the 2007 regular season, pitched two scoreless innings for the save.

Box score for Thursday, October 29, 2009—7:57 p.m. (ET) at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, New York

Prior to the game, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys performed the song "Empire State of Mind" for the Yankee Stadium crowd. This game marked the first postseason appearance of Pedro Martínez against the Yankees since the 2004 American League Championship Series when he was with the Boston Red Sox and a part of the two teams' long standing rivalry. The Phillies scored first for the second game in a row, with Raúl Ibáñez hitting a ground rule double and then scoring on a Matt Stairs RBI single off A. J. Burnett in the second inning.

Mark Teixeira tied the game with a solo home run in the fourth inning, and Hideki Matsui broke the tie in the sixth with another solo homer.Martínez departed the game after giving up consecutive hits to Jerry Hairston, Jr. and Melky Cabrera to start the seventh inning, and reliever Chan Ho Park gave up an RBI single to Jorge Posada. With Cabrera at second base and Posada at first, Johnny Damon hit a low line drive at Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard. Howard grabbed the ball and threw to second where Posada was tagged and called out while standing on the base. First-base umpire Brian Gorman ruled that Howard had caught the ball in the air and thus the result was an inning-ending double play. This was the first of two calls by Gorman in this game which were later shown to have been wrong by video replays.

Burnett left after seven innings, replaced by Mariano Rivera in the eighth. The Phillies put two runners on with a walk to Jimmy Rollins and a single by Shane Victorino with one out in the eighth.However, Chase Utley grounded into an inning-ending double play ending on a close play at first base, the second close call made by the first base umpire. Gorman himself later admitted he missed this call, saying "on a freeze frame, it looks like there’s a little bit of a ball outside his glove when he hits the bag." Ultimately, Rivera threw 39 pitches and got six outs for his 38th postseason save, his tenth in World Series play.

 Game 3

Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, pictured during the 2008 regular season, got his first World Series hit in Game 3 with the first home run reviewed in postseason play.

Box score for Saturday, October 31, 2009—9:17 p.m. (following 1:20 rain delay) (ET) at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The opening ceremony for Game 3

The start of the game was postponed 80 minutes due to a rain delay, pushing the start time to 9:17 p.m. The cast of the television series Glee performed the national anthem prior to the game as part of a ceremony featuring a large American flag and several members of the armed services. The Phillies scored first with Jayson Werth's lead-off solo home run, which was followed by a bases-loaded walk and a sacrifice fly to make the score 3–0 in the bottom of the second inning. Following Mark Teixeira's walk in the top of the fourth inning, Alex Rodriguez hit a deep ball down the right field line. It was originally ruled a double and Teixeira held at third base. The play was reviewed using MLB instant replay, which revealed that the ball had struck a camera sticking over the top of the wall, and the ball was ruled a two-run home run, giving Rodriguez his first World Series hit. This was the first home run reviewed by instant replay in postseason play. Specifically, the ball hit a camera owned by Fox and MLB which extended slightly over the right field wall. The camera was moved back for Game 4 such that its lens was in line with the wall. Coincidentally, Alex Rodriguez also had the first regular season home run reviewed by replay.

Nick Swisher opened the top of the fifth inning with a double and scored on a single to center field by Andy Pettitte. This was Pettitte's first career postseason RBI and the first RBI by a Yankees pitcher in a World Series since Jim Bouton in 1964. Derek Jeter followed Pettitte with another single, and both runners scored on a two-run double by Johnny Damon. Cole Hamels then walked Teixeira and was relieved by J. A. Happ. Happ escaped the fifth without allowing further scoring, but Nick Swisher added to the Yankees lead with a solo home run off of Happ in the sixth. Werth hit his second solo home run of the game leading off the bottom of the sixth to close the Yankees lead to 6–4, becoming the second Phillies player to hit multiple home runs in this World Series.

Chad Durbin relieved Happ in the top of the seventh. He walked Johnny Damon, who then stole second base. Rodriguez was then hit by a pitch, and Damon scored on a single by Jorge Posada. Joba Chamberlain relieved Pettitte in the bottom of the seventh and retired the side in order. Brett Myers retired the first two batters in the top of the eighth, but Hideki Matsui then hit a solo home run pinch hitting for Chamberlain. This was the 28th pinch-hit home run in World Series history. Phil Hughes pitched a third of an inning in the bottom of the ninth and allowed a solo home run to Carlos Ruiz before being relieved by Mariano Rivera.Rivera closed out the game, throwing just five pitches to record the final two outs. This game was Pettitte's 17th career postseason win, extending his MLB record.

 Game 4

Phillies closer Brad Lidge, pictured during the 2008 regular season, allowed three runs in the ninth inning of a tied Game 4 and took the loss.

Box score for Sunday, November 1, 2009—8:20 p.m. (ET) at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Prior to the start of the game, Derek Jeter and Albert Pujols were named winners of the Hank Aaron Award for their offensive performances in 2009. This was the first game to test manager Joe Girardi's decision to use a three-man rotation, as CC Sabathia started the game on three days rest. Jeter led the game off with a single and advanced to third base on a double by Johnny Damon. Jeter scored via a Mark Teixeira ground out and Alex Rodriguez was hit by a pitch.Rodriguez was hit twice the night before and the umpires issued warnings to both benches. Jorge Posada then added to the Yankees lead that inning with a sacrifice fly. The Phillies answered quickly, scoring a run on successive doubles by Shane Victorino and Chase Utley in the bottom of the first. Sabathia would intentionally walk Jayson Werth, but escaped the inning without further scoring.The Phillies tied the game in the bottom of the fourth as Ryan Howard singled, stole second, and scored on a single by Pedro Feliz. Although the run counted, instant replay of Howard's slide later showed that he did not touch home plate.

Nick Swisher walked to lead off the fifth inning and advanced to second on a Melky Cabrera single. Swisher restored the Yankees' lead, scoring on a single by Jeter, and Cabrera added to it by scoring a run on a Damon single. Brett Gardner replaced Cabrera in center field as a defensive substitution in the bottom of the sixth inning after Cabrera left the game due to a hamstring injury. Chan Ho Park relieved Phillies starter Joe Blanton in the seventh and held the Yankees scoreless in that inning. Chase Utley hit his third solo home run of the series in the bottom of the seventh with two outs, bringing the game to 4–3 and chasing Sabathia from the game. Dámaso Marté relieved Sabathia and got the final out of the seventh without further scoring.

Ryan Madson relieved Park in the eighth and allowed a walk and a single but held the Yankees scoreless. Joba Chamberlain replaced Marte in the bottom of the inning. He struck out the first two batters he faced but allowed a game-tying home run to Feliz before closing the inning. Brad Lidge came into the game in the ninth and gave up a two-out single to Damon—after a nine-pitch at bat. Then, with Teixeira batting, Damon stole second and, on the same play, advanced to third as the base was uncovered due to a defensive shift against Teixeira. Several news outlets referred to this as a "mad dash", which Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post compared to Enos Slaughter's "Mad Dash" in the 1946 World Series. Some believed that Damon's play caused Lidge to avoid throwing his best pitch—a slider with sharp downward movement—for the rest of the inning, as it risked a wild pitch that would have allowed Damon to score. Teixeira was then hit by a pitch and Rodriguez put the Yankees ahead with a double, scoring Damon. Posada added to that lead with a single that scored Teixeira and Rodriguez. Mariano Rivera entered in the bottom of the ninth and saved the game for the Yankees on eight pitches for his second save of the series.

 Game 5

Box score for Monday, November 2, 2009—7:57 p.m. (ET) at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Yankees replaced Melky Cabrera on their postseason roster with Ramiro Peña due to his injury in Game 4, while Brett Gardner took Cabrera's place in center field. A. J. Burnett, the Yankees' Game 2 starter, started Game 5 on three days rest, one less than the Phillies' Cliff Lee. The Yankees scored first in the first inning, with Johnny Damon reaching base with a single and then scoring on a two-out double by Alex Rodriguez. The Phillies responded in the bottom of the inning with a single by Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino reaching after being hit by a pitch, and finally a three-run home run by Chase Utley to take the lead. The Phillies added to their lead in the third inning with Utley and Ryan Howard drawing walks followed by RBI singles by Jayson Werth and Raúl Ibáñez. With no outs in the inning, Burnett was relieved by David Robertson, who allowed another run to score on a Carlos Ruiz ground out.

Robertson held the Phillies scoreless for a second inning in the fourth. Jorge Posada entered as a pinch hitter in the fifth inning for José Molina and grounded out. Eric Hinske then pinch hit for Robertson and walked, advanced to third on a Derek Jeter single, and scored on a ground out by Damon. Alfredo Aceves entered as the new Yankee pitcher in the bottom of the fifth. The first batter he faced, Jayson Werth, hit a deep drive to center field but it was caught for an out by Gardner, who collided into the outfield wall to complete the play. Aceves completed the inning without a run scoring, inducing ground outs from Ibáñez and Ruiz. Phil Coke relieved Aceves in the seventh inning and allowed two Phillies players tie World Series records. First, Utley tied Reggie Jackson's record for most home runs in a World Series with a solo home run, his fifth of the series. Coke then struck out Howard, Howard's 12th strikeout for the series, tying Willie Wilson's record for most strikeouts in a World Series.Finally, Coke was driven from the game after allowing another solo home run, this time to Ibáñez, and was relieved by Phil Hughes.

Victorino was replaced defensively in the eighth inning by Ben Francisco. Lee was driven from the game after allowing a single to Damon, followed by a double by Mark Teixeira, and then a double by Rodriguez that scored both runners. Chan Ho Park relieved Lee and induced a ground out from Nick Swisher, which advanced Rodriguez to third base. Rodriguez scored on a sacrifice fly by Robinson Canó. Ryan Madson entered in the ninth to close the game, allowing a double to Posada and a single to Hideki Matsui without recording an out.Batting with men on first and third base, Jeter grounded into a double play, allowing Posada to score but emptying the bases. Damon singled to bring Teixeira to bat as the potential tying run, but Madson struck him out to record his first World Series save. Members of the news media, such as Gene Wojciechowski, were critical of the three-man rotation strategy following Game 3, and contended that Burnett's poor performance was caused by insufficient rest in between starts. However, Burnett had been successful up to this point in such situations, going 4-0 with a 2.33 ERA in four career starts on short rest before this game.

 Game 6

Yankees designated hitter Hideki Matsui, pictured here in the 2007 regular season, tied a World Series record for most RBIs in a single game and won the World Series MVP award.

Box score for Wednesday, November 4, 2009—7:57 p.m. (ET) at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, New York

This game was the first Game 6 in a World Series since the 2003 World Series six years earlier, the longest such period in the history of the World Series. Prior to the game, Mary J. Blige, a Bronx native, performed "The Star-Spangled Banner". Andy Pettitte started on three days rest, the third straight game in which the Yankees fielded a pitcher on short rest. The Yankees scored first with an Alex Rodriguez walk opening the bottom of the second inning followed by a two-run home run by designated hitter Hideki Matsui. The Phillies quickly responded with a triple by Carlos Ruiz and a run scoring on a Jimmy Rollins sacrifice fly in the top of the third. Matsui answered back, adding to the Yankees lead again with a single with the bases loaded in the bottom of the third, scoring Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon. Damon, injured running the bases while scoring, was replaced defensively in the top of the fourth by Jerry Hairston, Jr.

The Yankees celebrate their 7–3 win and the franchise's 27th World Series championship.

Phillies starter Pedro Martínez was removed after just four innings, relieved in the fifth by Chad Durbin. Durbin allowed a ground rule double to Jeter, who advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Hairston and scored on a single by Mark Teixeira. Durbin then hit Rodriguez with a pitch and was relieved by J. A. Happ after recording just one out. Happ allowed a two-run double to Matsui, his fifth and sixth RBI of the game, which tied a World Series record for most RBI in a single game set by Bobby Richardson in the 1960 World Series.

The Phillies brought the game closer in the top of the sixth inning, as Chase Utley drew a walk and Ryan Howard followed him with a two-run home run, bringing the game to 7–3. After Raúl Ibáñez hit a double into right field, Joba Chamberlain relieved Andy Pettitte and closed the sixth without scoring. Chan Ho Park came in for Happ, ending any Yankees threat that inning. Chamberlain was relieved by Dámaso Marté in the top of the seventh after allowing two baserunners, but Marté struck out Utley to end the inning scoreless. After Park allowed a single to Rodriguez, Scott Eyre replaced him. Eyre allowed Rodriguez to steal second and intentionally walked Jorge Posada but escaped the inning without allowing a run.

Marté recorded one out, a strikeout of Howard, in the top of the eighth inning. With it Howard set a new World Series record for most strikeouts in a single series with a total of 13.After the out, Marté was relieved by the Yankees closer Mariano Rivera in a non-save situation. Rivera allowed a double to Ibáñez, but no runs, in the eighth.^[100] After retiring the first two batters in the eighth, Eyre gave way to Ryan Madson, who allowed a single to Jeter before ending the bottom of the eighth inning. Matt Stairs led off the ninth as a pinch hitter, but lined out. Ruiz worked a walk from Rivera, but successive outs by Rollins and Victorino ended the game 7–3 to clinch the World Series for the Yankees. Pettitte added to his own record for most playoff wins, bringing his career total to 18.

 Statistics

AL New York Yankees (4) vs. NL Philadelphia Phillies (2)

 Broadcasting

For the tenth consecutive year in the United States, Fox Sports televised the Series. Joe Buck called play-by-play and Tim McCarver provided analysis. The Series was also broadcast on ESPN Radio, with Jon Miller and Joe Morgan calling the action. Game 1 was watched by 19.5 million viewers, second only to the opening of the 2004 World Series in viewership for a series opener since 2000. The viewership for the opening game resulted in a ratings percentage of 11.9% of households in the United States. Game 4 produced the highest ratings of the series with 22.8 million viewers, the highest for any World Series game since 2004 and the highest for a "non-decisive Game 4" since 2003. Fox Sports en Español also broadcast the Series for the US Spanish-speaking audience. The flagship radio stations of the respective teams broadcast all Series games with their local announcers. In Philadelphia, WPHT carried the Phillies' English-language broadcasts, with Scott Franzke, Larry Andersen, Tom McCarthy, Gary Matthews, and Chris Wheeler announcing, while WUBA aired the team's Spanish broadcasts. In New York, WCBS-AM carried the Yankees' English broadcasts with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman announcing. This broadcast made Waldman the first woman to announce a World Series game on radio.XM Satellite Radio offered multiple feeds of each game to its subscribers.

 Impact and aftermath

Many players with both teams won awards for their performances during the 2009 season. Teixeira and Jeter each won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Award; Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino won Gold Gloves, as well; and Chase Utley won a Silver Slugger Award. Rivera was named the 2009 DHL Delivery Man of the Year, as well as Sporting News' Pro Athlete of the Year. Along with the Hank Aaron Award announced before Game 4, Jeter won the Roberto Clemente Award and was named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year for 2009.Several items related to the series were sent to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum including bats from Jeter and Matsui; caps from Rivera, Lee, and Pettitte; and Johnny Damon's cleats.

 Yankees

CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira during the victory parade

Ticker-tape parade at New York City Hall

President Barack Obama meets with the 2009 World Series champion New York Yankees at the White House

The series win brought the Yankees' franchise championship total to 27, more than any other North American professional sports franchise. The victory was noted by some sportswriters as a personal success for Alex Rodriguez, winning his first championship and succeeding in the playoffs where some had previously claimed he was a "choker and a loser." Prior to this series, Rodriguez had appeared in 2,166 regular season games without a World Series appearance, then second-most among active players to Ken Griffey, Jr. On November 6, a victory parade took place for the Yankees in the "Canyon of Heroes" in Manhattan, New York City. The Yankees sent a group of players, coach Tony Peña, and team Senior Vice President Felix Lopez with the Commissioner's Trophy to the Dominican Republic in early January 2010 to meet with President Leonel Fernández.

The Yankees' victory was credited to a number of different sources.Many players drew praise for their performances, including Series MVP Hideki Matsui; free agents signed the previous offseason including Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia, and A. J. Burnett; and the so-called "Core Four" of Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, and Jorge Posada, who had all played a large role in the Yankees' past success in the 1990s. Manager Joe Girardi was also credited for his management of the team, particularly in his decision to use only three starting pitchers in the Yankees postseason starting rotation. The Yankees were the first team to use only three starters in a World Series since the San Diego Padres in the 1998 Series.

Several members of the Yankees franchise dedicated the World Series in part to team owner George Steinbrenner, who had recently stepped back from his once prominent position with the team. Steinbrenner died on the day of the All-Star Game the following season.

Phillies

Following Game 4, after the Yankees took a 3–1 series lead, The Philadelphia Inquirer accidentally printed a three-quarters-page Macy's advertisement congratulating the Phillies for winning the World Series, along with a picture of a Phillies championship T-shirt. The newspaper subsequently apologized for the mistake. Having learned from this mistake, the newspaper avoided printing an ad congratulating the Flyers after the Chicago Blackhawks won Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals the subsequent June in Chicago and took a 3–2 lead in preparation for Game 6 at the Wachoiva Center.

Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated attributed Philadelphia's loss to a lack of pitching depth, noting that three different Yankees starters managed to win games in the series, while only Cliff Lee won games for the Phillies. Jorge Arangure Jr. of ESPN partially attributed the Phillies' loss to their lack of offensive production, citing the team's .227 batting average in the World Series.

 David Paterson ticket scandal

Among those in attendance during Game 1 was New York Governor David Paterson, whose party had five tickets behind home plate. On March 3, 2010, the New York Commission on Public Integrity found that Paterson had violated state laws concerning gifts to public officials, and that he lied under oath to the commission. The commission further found that Paterson used his position to solicit and receive the five tickets—valued at US$425 each—free of charge from the Yankees, that he had never intended to pay for the tickets despite testimony to the contrary, and that he or a person acting on his behalf wrote a backdated check to pay for them only after scrutiny in the case arose.