News Story - Howard's hustle home misses plate

Howard's hustle home misses plate

By DAN GELSTON,

PHILADELPHIA (AP) Ryan Howard scored the tying run, even if he didn't touch the plate.

Stuck in a strikeout slump, Howard led off the fourth inning of Game 4 on Sunday night with a single and surprised the Yankees with his first career postseason stolen base.

After two outs, Pedro Feliz singled to left and Howard came charging around third, ready to slide home. Catcher Jorge Posada couldn't hold on to left fielder Johnny Damon's throw as the 250-pound Howard hurled his body over the plate to make it 2-2. The ball shook loose of Posada's glove and rolled toward the dugout, allowing Feliz to advance to second.

Umpire Mike Everitt called the bulky Phillies slugger safe and no Yankee argued the call.

Replays appeared to show Howard never touched the plate.

It didn't end up mattering as the Yankees scored three runs in the ninth inning to win the game, 7-4, and grab a commanding 3-1 lead in the World Series.

Howard struck out in his first at-bat on an 80 mph slider against CC Sabathia for his 10th whiff of the World Series. He's two shy of matching Royals outfielder Willie Wilson's record of 12 set in 1980 when the Phillies beat Kansas City.

Howard's single in the fourth snapped an 0 for 9 skid that included eight strikeouts. He has struck out 18 times already in the postseason.

"What I've seen of Ryan, they're pitching him tough, and they're throwing him sliders, especially left-handed pitchers, they're throwing him sliders and they're on the outside part of the plate," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said.

BLAND-TON: Badly in need of a victory to even the Series, the Phillies could have used a sensational outing from Joe Blanton.

Instead, Philadelphia's Game 4 starter was just OK.

Blanton allowed four runs, five hits and struck out seven in six innings. He allowed two runs and hit Alex Rodriguez in the first inning, then retired the next 11 straight.

Blanton ended that streak, which included five strikeouts, in the fifth inning when he opened by walking Nick Swisher on four pitches. Swisher and Johnny Damon would score to put the Yankees ahead 4-2.

"Walk got him in trouble, and a guy got an infield hit and then he got two bloop hits and he ended up scoring two runs in that," manager Charlie Manuel said. "I thought he did a real good job. Actually I think he pitched real good."

Blanton, a right-hander, went 12-8 this season and all 31 of his appearances were starts. He was sent to the bullpen for the division series before returning to the rotation against the Dodgers in the NLCS.

Blanton got the start over Cliff Lee for Game 4. Lee, the Game 1 winner and the 2008 AL Cy Young Award winner, has not pitched on three days rest in his career.

"Hopefully Cliff will get us a great game tomorrow," said Brad Lidge, the Game 4 loser after allowing three runs in the ninth.

JETER, PUJOLS HONORED: Derek Jeter is stockpiling awards named after Hall of Famers.

The New York Yankees shortstop and Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals won the Hank Aaron Award in fan voting for the best offensive players in their leagues. Aaron presented Jeter with the award before the Yankees played the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 4 of the World Series on Sunday night.

"Any award that's named after Hank Aaron to me is very special, what he has represented, not only in his playing days but how he handled himself when he was playing off the field and to this day," Jeter said. "I have the utmost respect for him. This is an award that means a lot to me."

Pujols wasn't in attendance because he's recovering from elbow surgery.

The 35-year-old Jeter, a career .317 hitter, hit .334 with 18 homers, 66 RBIs and 30 steals to lead the Yankees back to the World Series for the first time in six years.

On Thursday, Jeter was presented the Roberto Clemente Award, given annually to a major league player who combines community service with excellence on the field.

Pujols hit .327 with a major league-leading 47 homers, 135 RBIs and 124 runs. His Cardinals won the NL Central, but were swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the division series.

SAY WHAT, COLE?: After losing Game 3 on Saturday night, Philadelphia's Cole Hamels said he was looking forward to the end of the season. That doesn't sound like a guy who would be ready to take the ball when it's his turn to pitch if the World Series goes seven games.

"I was surprised when I heard that," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said before Game 4. "I was surprised at that. But I don't really understand exactly how he meant that. Here's a guy, all of a sudden he's having some problems. He's inconsistent, and he's kind of had an off year for him. Basically his struggles is kind of this is the first time he's going through that."

Hamels, last year's NLCS and World Series MVP, is 1-2 with a 7.58 ERA in four starts this postseason. He was 10-11 with a 4.32 ERA in the regular season.

Last October, Hamels was dominant. He went 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA in five postseason starts, helping the Phillies win the second World Series title in franchise history.

"This is all part of the process," Manuel said. "This is all new to him, and that's something that he will get through and probably be even better."

HIDEKI'S LAST RIDE?: If this is Hideki Matsui's final season with the Yankees, he's going out in a big way.

Matsui, who can be a free agent after the season, homered in Games 2 and 3 against the Phillies. He didn't start Saturday night because there's no designated hitter in NL parks, but came up as a pinch-hitter and hit an opposite-field shot off Brett Myers. It was Matsui's first homer to left field in four years.

Matsui pinch hit for pitcher Joba Chamberlain to lead off the ninth inning of Game 4, popping out to shortstop before the Yankees scored three runs to ice the 7-4 victory.

"I think the nine games during the interleagues helped me for the preparation as far as a pinch-hitter, so I think I was able to draw from that experience," Matsui said through a translator.

Matsui joined the Yankees in 2003 and has had four seasons of 20 homers and 100 RBIs. He batted .274 with 28 homers and 90 RBIs in the regular season, earning $13 million in the final year of a $52 million, four-year deal.

Asked about his future with the Yankees, the 35-year-old Matsui said: "I don't know. It's not a question I can really answer."

BROAD STREET VS. BROADWAY: The Yankees' victory in Game 4 gave their city a split in the Philadelphia-New York doubleheader on Sunday.

Earlier, the Eagles routed the Giants 40-17 at Lincoln Financial Field, across the street from where the World Series is being played. The sports complex was a sea of red and green. Fans wore Eagles jerseys with Phillies hats or vice versa.

By the fourth quarter, the crowd at the Linc was chanting: "Let's Go Phillies!"

Even the NBA teams in the two cities joined in the rivalry this weekend, with the 76ers beating the Knicks in overtime on Saturday night.

PHILLIES FLU BUG: Reliever Chan Ho Park's status coming into Game 4 was uncertain because he had the flu, but Park relieved starter Joe Blanton in the 7th inning. Park worked one inning and did not allow a hit, striking out one and walking one.

Utilityman Greg Dobbs was sent home before Game 2 in New York because he had the flu. Dobbs returned to the team Saturday. Pedro Martinez felt under the weather before starting Game 2. It hardly affected his performance, as Martinez allowed three runs in six-plus innings.

AP Sports Writer Rob Maaddi contributed to this report.

Updated November 2, 2009