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New York Yankees Hideki Matsui gets his first hit, - Source: Reuters
The New York Yankees levelled the World Series at one game each as A.J. Burnett outdueled old Yankees nemesis Pedro Martinez in a 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday.
Mark Teixeira and Hideki Matsui homered for the Yankees, who overcame a 1-0 second-inning deficit for the victory as the best-of-seven series shifts to Philadelphia for the next three games starting on Sunday. (NZT)
The hard-throwing Burnett gave up four hits in seven innings and struck out nine while walking two.
Martinez, a familiar foe to New York in seven seasons with the Boston Red Sox, went six plus innings and was charged with three runs on six hits and struck out eight.
Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel admired the performances of both pitchers.
"Burnett was good. He was very aggressive with his fastball and his slider was off the chart. He pitched a heck of a game," Manuel told reporters.
"Pedro did a tremendous job, changing speeds, but he got hurt by the long ball from left-handed hitters."
Philadelphia scored in the second when Raul Ibanez blooped a two-out double down the left-field line and came home when third baseman Alex Rodriguez failed to corral a smash off the bat of designated hitter Matt Stairs.
Teixeira, who had been slumping with a .186 postseason average, blasted a 1-0 pitch into the Yankees bullpen in right-center to tie it 1-1.
Two innings later Matsui put the Yankees in front by pulling a soft, 73 mph (117 kph) curve into the lower deck in right.
New York added another run in the seventh after Jerry Hairston Jr and Melky Cabrera opened the inning with singles.
Park Chan-ho relieved Martinez and yielded a single to center by pinch-hitter Jorge Posada that scored pinch-runner Brett Gardner.
Closer Mariano Rivera pitched the last two innings for the save, escaping trouble in the eighth by getting Chase Utley to rap into a double play turned by Robinson Cano and Derek Jeter.
Andy Pettitte, who has a record 16 career postseason wins, starts Saturday for the Yankees against fellow left-hander Cole Hamels, last year's World Series MVP for the Phillies.
