MIAMI, 25 October 2003 — Brad Penny pitched seven strong innings and drove in two runs to push the Florida Marlins to within one victory of their second World Series title by downing the New York Yankees 6-4 in Game Five on Thursday.
Florida leads the best-of-seven series 3-2, with the teams clashing at Yankee Stadium in Game Six today. A seventh game, if necessary, will be played in New York tomorrow.
Penny allowed two runs, one earned, on eight hits while striking out four batters and walking two in picking up his second win of the Series. He also beat New York 3-2 in Game One at Yankee Stadium last Saturday.
“We’re one game away. We’re real excited,” Penny told reporters.
“It’s not over yet. We’ve got to go out and take care of business.”
The Marlins took care of business early in Game Five, scoring three runs in the second, one in the fourth and two more in the fifth to grab a 6-1 lead. They would need those runs as the Yankees again attempted a late rally.
Dontrelle Willis pitched a scoreless eighth. Braden Looper came on in the ninth, allowing a pinch-hit solo homer to Jason Giambi and an RBI double by Enrique Wilson before Ugueth Urbina finally closed the game out. Florida had nine hits in the game, from eight different players.
It was a tense ninth inning once again as Bernie Williams drove a long fly ball to the right field wall that narrowly missed being a game-tying, two-run homer.
“It was a little scary in the ninth,” McKeon said. “But our guys, they seem to be able to get out of those jams most of the time.”
The Yankees suffered a big blow early in the game when starter David Wells had to leave after one perfect inning with acute lower back spasms.
Jose Contreras took over in the second and was handed the loss, allowing four runs on five hits with four strikeouts and two walks over three innings of relief.
The Yankees attempted another late rally but, unlike Wednesday night when they tied the game in the ninth, came up short.
“I was proud of the way my ballclub just kept it together and kept coming back,” New York manager Joe Torre said.
“We haven’t been down this road (trailing in a series) many times. We hope there’s still two games left in the season.”
New York opened the scoring on a first-inning sacrifice fly by Williams but, with Wells out of the game, Florida took three runs off Contreras in the second.
Penny’s two-run single came in the second while Game Four hero Alex Gonzalez added a run-scoring double, all with two out.
Juan Pierre’s run-scoring double in the fourth and a two-run single by Mike Lowell in the fifth accounted for the other Florida runs. Derek Jeter had an RBI single in the seventh for New York’s other run.
