NEW YORK — The Phillies won't know until sometime this afternoon if they'll have CF Shane Victorino in their lineup.
Victorino left Monday's game when his right index finger, hit by a pitch in the first inning, became swollen and sore and prevented him from gripping his bat or a ball.
X-rays showed no fracture, but manager Charlie Manuel said he was told by the team medical staff "he's day to day, and they said he's going to have some soreness in his finger. We'll see."
Victorino, the team's No. 2 hitter who had a .292 average, 10 homers, 62 RBIs and a major-league-high 13 triples this season, said after Monday's game he would be able to play. It would be a big loss for the Phillies if he can't, because Ben Francisco — who might have played left with Raul Ibanez as the DH — would have to start in center.
WHOLE AGAIN: The Yankees will still be without injured Melky Cabrera but will look more like themselves with the return of DH Hideki Matsui, who is 5-for-9 with two homers. "Getting Matsui back is always important," manager Joe Girardi said.
NUMBERS GAME: Of the first 60 teams to have 3-2 Series leads, only 23 won Game 6 but 40 won the championship. … Of the 23 teams to have a 3-2 lead with the final two games at home, 13 won Game 6 but 19 won the championship. … The four who didn't: the 1926 Yankees, 1934 Tigers, 1952 Dodgers and 1968 Cardinals.
In the current best-of-seven format, 18 teams have come back from 3-2 deficits to win, most recently the 2002 Angels over the Giants. … The Yankees are just the second team to take a 3-2 Series lead by losing Game 1 and winning Game 2 at home, then winning Games 3-4 and losing Game 5 on the road. The other was the 1935 Tigers, who beat the Cubs in six games.
HOT KID COLE: The Phillies are still being asked about the comments LHP Cole Hamels made Saturday about wishing his season was over, even more so after teammate Brett Myers was overheard kidding Hamels about it Monday.
Manuel made his feelings very clear on Tuesday: "I want you to listen to this. I never, ever questioned his mental toughness because he's just as tough as anybody on our team. And I mean that. That part I've never, ever doubted."
That said, Manuel wouldn't commit to Hamels as his potential Game 7 starter.
MISCELLANY: This is the first Series since 2003 to go to at least a sixth game. … Phillies 1B Ryan Howard tied Willie Wilson's record of 12 strikeouts in a Series. RF Jayson Werth's seven homers for the postseason are one shy of the record shared by Barry Bonds (2002 Giants) and Carlos Beltran (2004 Astros). … The Yankees have lost their last three potential Series-clinching games: Games 6 and 7 in 2001, Game 5 on Monday. … The Phillies are the second team to have three multi-homer games from its players, Chase Utley (twice) and Werth. The 1932 Yankees got them from Lou Gehrig, Tony Lazzeri and Babe Ruth.
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