October 28, 2009: Cliff Lee, Chase Utley dominate Yankees in Game 1 of World Series

The 105th World Series featured a rematch 59 years in the making between the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies. In 1950 the Whiz Kids from Philadelphia reversed 32 years of mediocrity and stunned the National League, winning just their second pennant in franchise history.1 Unfortunately, they ran into Joe DiMaggio and the Yankees, who had won 8 of the last 14 World Series.

The 1950 Yankees dispatched the Whiz Kids in four straight games. The Series was notable for being the last World Series featuring only White players – the Yankees didn’t integrate until 1955 with Elston Howard, and the Phillies were the last National League team to integrate, with John Kennedy in 1957.2

In 2009 both teams positioned themselves as powerhouses of their respective leagues. The Phillies returned as the defending World Series champions, having defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008 for their second title.3 Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Jimmy Rollins headlined the returning core of a powerful offense that featured four players with 30 or more home runs.4

The ’09 Phillies powered through the Colorado Rockies and – for the second straight year – the Los Angeles Dodgers, looking to become the first team since the 1998-2000 Yankees to win back-to-back titles and the first NL team to do so since the 1975-1976 Cincinnati Reds.

The Yankees, who missed the playoffs in 2008 for the first time since 1993, spent big during the offseason in pursuit of their 27th title.5 They rewarded their fans with the best record in the major leagues – 103-59 – and a team-record 244 home runs.6

The “Core Four” of Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, and Mariano Rivera were seeking their fifth Series victory together. Other superstars like Álex Rodríguez were hoping to erase past playoff frustrations and secure their first World Series. The Yankees defeated the Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to capture their 40th American League pennant.

For only the second time in Series history, Game One featured two former Cy Young Award winners: ’08 AL winner Cliff Lee for the Phillies and ’07 AL winner CC Sabathia for the Yankees.7 Lee, a midseason acquisition from the Cleveland Indians, finished with a record of 14-13 and an ERA of 3.22.8 He dominated the first two rounds of the postseason, going 2-0 with an ERA of 0.74 in the first two rounds.

Not to be outdone by his former Cleveland teammate, Sabathia went 19-8 with a 3.37 ERA in his first season with the Yankees. He suffered only one loss after July 28, and was 3-0 with a 1.19 ERA in the first two rounds of the postseason. He was named the ALCS MVP for his performance against the Angels. Sabathia was defeated in the 2008 NLDS by the Phillies, who ended his remarkable second-half run with the Milwaukee Brewers.9

This was not the first time these two southpaws faced off in 2009: Lee outdueled Sabathia in the first game at the new Yankee Stadium on April 16. Their on-field matchups did not stop them from being close friends, with Sabathia inviting Lee over for dinner at his house after the Yankees’ home opener.10 Sabathia congratulated Lee via text when they both made the World Series, saying of their face-off, “It’ll be fun.”11

Rain all day did not dampen the spirits of the Yankees fans, who packed the new Yankee Stadium for its first World Series game. After 100 World Series games at the old Yankee Stadium, fans were eager and energized to start recording history in their new home. One bit of history was already getting set: Suzyn Waldman, the Yankees’ radio color commentator, became the first woman to work a World Series broadcast.12

First Lady Michelle Obama and Second Lady Jill Biden, escorted by Yankees legend Yogi Berra, delivered the ceremonial first-pitch ball to Iraq war veteran and retired Army Captain Anthony Odierno, who threw out the first pitch to Jeter.

Sabathia got two easy outs to begin the game but worked into trouble navigating the fearsome Phillies core. Utley walked to set a postseason record of 26 consecutive games reaching base, breaking Boog Powell’s mark.13 The imposing Howard doubled to right field and Jayson Werth worked a walk to load the bases. After falling behind Phillies free-agent acquisition Raúl Ibañez 3-and-1, Sabathia got him to ground out to Robinson Canó.

Lee had little difficulty carving up the top of the Yankees’ order. He struck out Jeter, got Johnny Damon to bunt back to him, and struck out AL home-run and RBI leader Mark Teixeira.14 It was a sign of things to come for Lee and the Phillies.

Sabathia cruised through the second, and Lee allowed only a single to Posada in his half of the inning. In the third the Phillies finally flexed their muscles. On the ninth pitch of Uxley’s at-bat, he turned on a misplaced Sabathia fastball and deposited it into the right-field seats. Utley repeated his 2008 Game One performance with the homer.15

The Yankees mounted a brief two-out threat in their half of the third after Jeter doubled down the right-field line, but Lee held firm and kept mowing down the Yankees. Both lefties cruised through the fourth inning, and the only drama in the fifth again went the Phillies’ way. With Hideki Matsui on first, Canó hit a popup to short; shortstop Rollins caught the ball just before it hit the ground and doubled off Matsui. After a conference, the umpires ruled that Rollins did indeed catch the ball on the fly.

The pitchers’ duel continued into the sixth, when Utley clobbered an 0-and-2 fastball into the right-field bleachers. With his two swings, Utley became only the second left-handed hitter to homer twice off a left-handed pitcher in a World Series game, joining Babe Ruth, who hit two of his three home runs in Game Four of the 1928 series off lefty Bill Sherdel of the St. Louis Cardinals.16

“It was nice for us to get off to a good start,” Utley said. “The goal isn’t to hit home runs. The goal is just to put good at-bats together.”17 Those good at-bats put the Phillies up 2-0.

Lee continued to make going through the Yankees lineup look easy. After a Jeter single in the bottom of the sixth, Damon popped up on the infield, and Lee – barely making a move – nonchalantly caught the ball to his side in front of the mound. “I caught it and he was out,” Lee said, adding, “You’ve got to go out there and believe you’re going to get everybody out. I try not to go over the edge and rub things in and be cocky.”18

Sabathia bounced back in the seventh to finish off a respectable performance, but Lee continued dominating. The Yankees bullpen relieved Sabathia in the eighth but could not contain the Phillies any longer.

Phil Hughes came out first and walked Rollins and Shane Victorino. Southpaw Dámaso Marte entered the game for the two lefties, Utley and Howard, and retired both. David Robertson, next out of the bullpen, walked Werth on four pitches before giving up a two-run single to Ibañez. Ben Francisco grounded out to third, but the Phillies’ insurance runs made it 4-0.

Lee cruised through the eighth – unfazed by the long previous half-inning – and made an impressive behind-the-back snag on a Canó groundball that finally got a reaction – a sly grin – out of Lee. The Phillies tacked on two more runs against Brian Bruney and Phil Coke, and at 6-0 and Lee in control, the game seemed all but over.

Jeter and Damon led off the ninth with singles to keep the Yankees’ hopes alive. Teixeira grounded into what might have been a double play, but Rollins – a three-time Gold Glove winner – threw the ball into the Yankees’ dugout, allowing Jeter to score.

It was the first run for the Yankees at home in the World Series in 22 innings, but it was all they got off Lee.19 He struck out Rodríguez and Posada to finish off his masterful performance – a complete game with 10 strikeouts.20

Lee kept his cool all night and made his performance seem effortless. “This is the stage I’ve wanted to get to since I was a little kid,” he said. “Now that I’m here, there’s no sense in being nervous and worried.”21

With the heroics of Lee and Utley, the Phillies began their title defense in dominant fashion, snatching home-field advantage from the Yankees. Lee once again spoiled the Yankees’ first game at their new ballpark, this time on the biggest stage in baseball. Though the Yankees would ultimately defeat the Phillies in six games, Lee would pick up another victory in Game Five, and Utley would tie Reggie Jackson’s record of five home runs in a single World Series.

Acknowledgments

This article was fact-checked by Gary Belleville and copy-edited by Len Levin.

Photo credit: Cliff Lee, Trading Card Database.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author used the Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org websites for the box score and play-by-play, and the YouTube recording of the Fox broadcast.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA200910280.shtml

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2009/B10280NYA2009.htm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TekhEgbkmY

Notes

1 From 1918 to 1949, the Phillies had only two seasons in which they finished with a record of .500 or better – 1932 and 1949.

2 Roger Rubin, “Best & Worst of Times,” New York Daily News, October 28, 2009: 41.

3 The Phillies won the franchise’s first World Series in 1980, defeating the Kansas City Royals in six games.

4 Ryan Howard (45 homers), Chase Utley (31), Raúl Ibañez (34), and Jayson Werth (36).

5 Mark Feinsand, “The Hunt for 27,” New York Daily News, October 28, 2009: 5. The Yankees’ big acquisitions included CC Sabathia (7 years, $161 million), A.J. Burnett (5 years, $82.5M), and Mark Teixeira (8 years, $180M).

6 As of 2025, the Yankees’ team record for home runs in a single season was 306, set in 2019.

7 Game One of the 1995 World Series featured Greg Maddux (1992-1995 NL Cy Young Award winner) and Orel Hershiser (1988 NL winner) starting for the Atlanta Braves and Cleveland Indians respectively.

8 On July 29 the Indians traded Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco to the Phillies for Jason Knapp, Carlos Carrasco, Jason Donald, and Lou Marson.

9 After being traded to the Brewers on July 7, 2008, Sabathia went 11-2 with an ERA of 1.65 in 17 starts but then gave up five earned runs in 3 2/3 innings against the Phillies in Game Two of the 2008 NLDS.

10 Phil Sheridan, “Lee Cool Customer in Series Debut,” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 29, 2009: 59.

11 Anthony McCarron, “Lefts Get It On,” New York Daily News, October 28, 2009: 32.

12 Bob Raissman, “Call Waldman First Fall Gal,” New York Daily News, October 29, 2009: 62.

13 Adam Rubin, “Utley’s Bat Just Too Power-Phil,” New York Daily News, October 29, 2009: 60. As of 2025, Miguel Cabrera held the record for most consecutive postseason games reaching base (31 games from 2011 to 2013).

14 Teixeira tied Carlos Peña of the Tampa Bay Rays with 39 home runs to lead the AL.

15 Utley hit a two-run home run against the Rays’ Scott Kazmir in Game One of the 2008 World Series.

16 Rubin, “Utley’s Bat Just Too Power-Phil.”

17 Bob Ford, “Utley Does It Again, Sets Tone for Series,” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 29, 2009: 55.

18 Sheridan, “Lee Cool Customer in Series Debut.”

19 The Yankees had not scored at home since the fourth inning of Game Two during the 2003 World Series, having been shut out by Josh Beckett and the Florida Marlins in Game Six of that Series.

20 Mark Feinsand, “CC & Yanks Fall Off Cliff,” New York Daily News, October 29, 2009: 57.

21 Andy Martino, “Lee Defuses Bombers,” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 29, 2009: 55.