FanHouse Pedro Martinez

NEW YORK – Finally, there was life in Ryan Howard's bat, energy in his words. "Come on man, let's go," he shouted upon crossing the plate, as if adding a hardy exclamation point to his two-run homer in the sixth inning would spark whatever the defending champions had been missing since they took a brief World Series lead way back in October.

The Philadelphia Phillies brought the bravado, for sure. On the eve of the Fall Classic, Jimmy Rollins made one of his many extemporaneous observations, saying on the Jay Leno Show, of all places, "If we're nice, we'll let it go six. But I'm thinking five. Close it out at home." So here's the first lesson, to any budding big leaguers: try not to mouth off when playing the wealthiest, hungriest, most talent-stacked team on the planet.

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NEW YORK -- Pedro Martinez and Andy Pettitte both used the same word to describe how they felt about getting the assignment to pitch Game 6 of the World Series: "Blessed."

Martinez, understanding the similarities between the pitchers go beyond their statistical resumes, added another description: "Two old goats out there doing the best they can and having fun with it."

With the Yankees looking to close out their 27th World Series title on Wednesday night, they'll turn to the 37-year-old Pettitte, while the Phillies will lean on 38-year-old Martinez to try to force a Game 7. The matchup would have plenty of drama because of the situation in the series, but it certainly has an added bit of texture because of what could be the final major league game for either or both of these iconic pitchers.

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In Advanced Scouting, MLB FanHouse's professional talent evaluator breaks down the playoffs from a scouting perspective.

The approach was there, the execution was there, but Pedro Martinez's stuff was just short of allowing him to completely shut down the New York Yankees. All in all, the Phillies have to be more than pleased with just a few runs in six innings for their veteran right-hander. At least for a little while, he had the Yankees eating out of the palm of his hand.

It can't be said enough: The best way to stop New York's lineup is often by allowing their patient approach to work against them. Martinez has the type of command and moxie to pull off such an approach. By letting Martinez consistently get ahead 0-1 and 0-2, you give him multiple pitches to play with and different ways of getting you out.

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NEW YORK -- Pedro Martinez has not won a game yet this postseason, but he's made his point.

Both times the past-his-prime right-hander has taken the mound, he has proved beyond the shadow of doubt that, although he's lost something, he's still got more than enough.

"Regardless of what happened, the fact that I was the loser today for the game, I'm extremely proud and happy being to able to participate, compete against a real good team, a very solid team, be able to put my team in position to catch up or win that game," Martinez said after the Phillies' 3-1 loss on Thursday. "At the same time I told myself that I made the right decision by coming back and getting this opportunity, putting myself in the position to get an opportunity to pitch in the World Series."

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NEW YORK -- He didn't want to relinquish the ball, not with the fans ready to bombard him, not when they were preparing a final triumphant round of "Who's Your Daddy!" chants. But it was time for Pedro Martinez to depart nonetheless, perhaps forever from a stage that is 110 streets north of midtown Manhattan but always has felt like pure Broadway every time he has performed there.

Thursday night at Yankee Stadium was no exception. Nicked by the home team for three runs in six-plus innings, on a night when the Phillies had few answers for the vicious breaking stuff of A.J. Burnett and a two-inning dose of Mariano Rivera, Martinez handed the ball to manager Charlie Manuel, absorbed the rude serenade as he left the mound, pointed to his father in the sky and then, as he neared the visitors' dugout, broke into a grin that had to make you laugh even if you were a Philadelphia fan sensing defeat.

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NEW YORK -- Set the clock, nudge awake the kids. There might not be a more fascinating evening in sports this year than Thursday night, when Pedro Martinez takes the mound at Yankee Stadium and flips the World Series on its rump.

Most anything Pedro does is must-watch theater. He turned a routine press conference before Wednesday's Game 1 into an astonishing revival session that included Martinez proclaiming he "at times [is] the most influential player that ever stepped in Yankee Stadium" and featured his first in-depth, blow-by-blow look back at his 2003 tussle with Don Zimmer. It was almost as if Martinez was craftily writing his own prelude to whatever might happen in Game 2, when he attempts to lift Philadelphia to a 2-0 Series lead.

Will Pedro's first World Series pitch since 2004 (a year that still makes Yankee fans' skin crawl) serve as a reminder to Derek Jeter that some things never change? More delicious, how will Pedro treat Alex Rodriguez? With deference owed a man who has finally (we think) proven October no longer makes him flinch? Or will Pedro buzz them both, buzz them all, and quickly silence the crowd's mocking chants?

NEW YORK -- Charlie Manuel's gamble on Pedro Martinez paid off in the National League Championship Series, so he's going to try it again. Manuel announced that Martinez will start Game 2 of the World Series, an outing he'll make on 12 days of rest after his gem in Game 2 of the NLCS, a game he pitched on 17 days of rest.

The extra rest agreed with the 38-year-old, who pitched seven shutout innings against the Dodgers, but Manuel said Tuesday that he also chose Martinez because of his big game history.

"He has a tremendous feel for the game, and he knows a lot about it," Manuel said. "He loves to compete. The bigger the moment, the bigger the stage, I think the more he likes it. He's been very good for our club, and he fits real well."

PHILADELPHIA -- As the Phillies celebrated the NL's first repeat championship in 12 years Wednesday, a fan at Citizens Bank Park held up a sign:

"Bring On The Bronx."

Oh yeah.

Asked about a potential Yankees-Phillies World Series, Philadelphia shortstop Jimmy Rollins whistled.

"Two big boys," he said.

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LOS ANGELES -- It happens suddenly and inexplicably, virus-like, an out-of-body experience that can turn the best ballplayers into hopeless head cases. Worse, the condition might linger for weeks or months, even years. For sure, it comes with the worst possible timing for Chase Utley, heretofore known as baseball's most productive second baseman, a man whose only previous gaffe in his professional life came at the World Series celebration last fall in Philadelphia.

"World champions! World [bleeping] champions!" he shouted to the fans, apparently unaware that the ceremony was being telecast without a tape delay.

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LOS ANGELES -- This is why Pedro Martinez picked the Phillies. He said he had offers from other big league teams during his nine-month job search, but he didn't sign with any of them because he didn't want to merely pitch in the majors, he wanted to have a shot to pitch again in the playoffs.

And here he is.

A future first-ballot Hall of Famer, Martinez will make his first postseason start since the 2004 World Series when he takes the ball for the Phillies in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series on Friday.