The Yankees, baseball’s best come-from-behind team in the regular season and comeback winners in seven of 10 playoff games, rallied from 8-2 down to threaten late.
Damon singled to open the eighth, took third on a double by Mark Teixeira that snapped his 0-for-11 Series slump, and both scored on a Rodriguez double.
“A-Rod” later scored on a Robinson Cano fly out to pull New York within 8-5. Rodriguez, the boyfriend of actress Kate Hudson, has set a Yankee record by knocking in 18 playoff runs, his two in the eighth sending Lee to the showers.
Park pitched the Phillies out of the eighth and Madson entered in the ninth, promptly giving up a Jorge Posada double and Hideki Matsui single.
Derek Jeter grounded into a double play, although Posada scored from third base, and after a Damon single, Madson struck out Teixeira to finally end it.
Slumping Philadelphia slugger Ryan Howard struck out for a 12th time in the Series, tying a futility mark set in 1980 by Kansas City’s Willie Wilson.
Yankees outfielder Melky Cabrera, who suffered a hamstring strain in game four, was replaced in the starting lineup by Brett Gardner.
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