Despite 3-1 hole, history says Phils can come back

After the Toronto Blue Jays took a 3-1 series lead in the 1985 ALCS against Kansas City, they had champagne on ice for the anticipated pennant-clinching victory that would send them to the World Series for the first time in franchise history. When the Royals won Game 5 behind the shutout pitching of Danny Jackson, the Jays shipped the champagne back to Toronto, where the expectation was the Blue Jays would win that final game needed to claim the ALCS. The Royals, however, not only won Game 6, but stunned Jays ace Dave Stieb with a four-run sixth inning en route to a 6-2 Game 7 victory, and it was shortly after that mid-game rally that Royals general manager John Schuerholz worked his first postseason deal, agreeing with Toronto counterpart Pat Gillick to buy that iced champagne that the Jays weren't going to need. Have the Yankees put the champagne on ice in anticipation of a world championship celebration this week? They aren't saying. But they have taken a 3-1 lead in the best-of-7 World Series against Philadelphia. They have a chance to finish things off in Game 5 at Philadelphia on Monday night, and if that fails they get two more shots at a extending their world championship record to 27 at the new Yankee Stadium on Wednesday or Thursday. The odds are certainly in the Yankees' favor. "It's like the NCAA tournament," said Philadelphia reliever Chad Durbin. "It's win or go home." Or as Phillies manager Charlie Manuel put it, "we're down but, you know, we're still breathing." It's a challenge, but it's not impossible. Six times in the previous 114 World Series has a team rallied from a 3-1 deficit to win a World Series, and a team has overcome a 3-1 deficit in six of the 48 LCS that have been played since it was expanded from a best-of-5 to a best-of-7 in 1985. And there are those involved in this year's World Series who know too well that until the final out in the final game is recorded there is a hope. Gillick, after all, is now a special assistant to the Phillies, having stepped down as their general manager after last year's world championship. And more directly, there was the 2004 ALCS when the Red Sox rallied against the Yankees to become the first team to ever overcome losing the first three games of a postseason series. The Red Sox followed up the comeback against the Yankees, fueled by Mariano Rivera blowing saves in Games 4 and 5 by sweeping St. Louis to end their 86-year World Series drought. Not only were Pedro Martinez, Philadelphia's potential Game 6 starter, and Johnny Damon, the Yankees' current left fielder, teammates in Boston that year, but current Yankees Rivera, Derek Jeter, Hideki Matsui, Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada suffered through that October meltdown. The memory lingers, which explains the business-like appearance the Yankees had on display following Sunday's victory, which left them one win away from winning their first world championship in nine years. As Yankee icon Yogi Berra said long ago, "It ain't over 'til it's over." The Phillies do have a team that has shown resiliency. It accepted late-season challenges and rallied in years past to overcome deficits to overtake that other New York team, the Mets, to claim the NL East and advance to the postseason. They have shown an ability to take care of business on the road — and if they were to rally in this World Series they would have to win the final two games in New York. They actually had a better road record (48-33) than home record (45-36) during the regular season, their road record matching the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for the best in baseball. They have a team capable of putting together a streak. The Phillies have 12 regular-season winning streaks of three or more games. And they do have a hope of at least being able to force the game back to New York in that Cliff Lee will be pitching on his regular rest in Game 5, looking to extend a postseason mastery that has seen him go 3-0 with an 0.54 ERA in four starts. The question is whether the Phillies can find the kind of magic that the Yankees have so far enjoyed. Can they find an answer to Johnny Damon's aggressive baserunning? With two out in the ninth of Sunday's 7-4 victory Damon stole not only second but also third on the same pitch thanks to the failure of either catcher Carlos Ruiz or pitcher Brad Lidge to cover third, setting up the three-run, two-out, ninth-inning, game-deciding rally. Can they counter Yankee pitcher Andy Pettitte, a career .134 hitter, singling in the game-tying run when the Yankees rallied from a three-run deficit for a Game 3 victory? And can the Phillies find a cure for what ails 2008 World Series MVP Cole Hamels, winless this postseason, the victim of that Pettitte single in Game 3 and the potential Game 7 starter, and closer Brad Lidge, whose first appearance in the World Series resulted in the Game 4 loss when he retired the first two batters he faced and got ahead 1-2 on Damon before allowing the Yankees rally. It's possible, but not probable. It takes a stunning turn of events. Here's a look at teams that rallied to win a postseason series after losing three of the first four games:

World Series

1985: The Royals rallied against St. Louis after losing three of the first four games, and Cardinals fans have still not forgiven umpire Dan Denkinger for his eighth-inning safe call that set up a Game 6 Royals rally. 1979: The Pirates rallied and won Games 6 and 7 in Baltimore. 1968: Detroit rallied behind Mickey Lolich, whose three complete game victories included beating Bob Gibson with a five-hit effort on two days rest in Game 7. 1958: The Yankees won the final two games in Milwaukee, and Bob Turley not only pitched a complete-game victory in Game 5, but earned the save in Game 6, and came on in relief to work 6 2/3 innings for the victory in Game 7. 1925: Ray Kremer pitched complete-game victories in Games 6 and 7 on two days of rest to help Pittsburgh rally against Washington. 1903: In the first World Series ever, Boston claimed what was a best-of-9 matchup, Cy Young and Bill Dineen pitching two complete-game victories apiece in the final four games of the eight-game series.

League Championship Series

2007 Boston rallied in the ALCS to knock off Cleveland by a combined score of 30-5 in the final three games of the ALCS and then swept Colorado in the World Series, giving the Red Sox a seven-game postseason winning streak. 2004: Boston rebounded after losing the first three games to the Yankees, starting with a 6-4, 12-inning victory in Game 4, with Rivera blowing a 4-3, ninth-inning lead when Kevin Millar worked him for a leadoff walk, pinch-runner Dave Roberts stole second, then Bill Mueller singled him home to tie the game. 2003: Florida rallied in the NLCS against the Cubs thanks to an eight-run eighth inning against the Cubs at Wrigley Field (can anybody say Steve Bartman?) and the next night the Cubs blew a 5-3 lead in Game 7. 1996: Atlanta relied on the strong arms of John Smoltz, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, and outscored St. Louis 32-1 in the final three games of the NLCS. 1986: Boston pulled out the ALCS against the Angels, who were one out away from the clinching victory only to have Donnie Moore give up the game-tying, two-run home run to David Henderson with two out in the ninth. 1985: Kansas City won the final two games in Toronto.