Burnett is a short-timer in Game 5 loss

PHILADELPHIA – A.J.? Oy vey.

Or, #$@&!!@*, depending on the neighborhood.

Handed the chance to pitch the New York Yankees to their first World Series title since the turn of the century, A.J. Burnett(notes) cemented his reputation as Ol' Unreliable, failing to retire a batter in the third inning before getting the hook.

Unlike Bill Clinton, Burnett is from a place in Arkansas not called Hope (he hails from North Little Rock), but that's exactly what he gave the Philadelphia Phillies, who tagged him for three runs in the first inning and three more in the third en route to an 8-6 win in Game 5 of the World Series on Monday night.

Yankees pitcher A.J. Burnett was taken out of the game in the bottom of the third inning.

(Nick Laham/Getty Images)

Burnett's pitching line – 2 innings, 6 earned runs, 4 hits, 2 walks, and a hit batsman – ranks among the worst in Series history, in duration and ineffectiveness. Only two pitchers – Russ Ortiz(notes) of the 2002 Giants and Mordecai Brown of the 1906 Cubs – have given up more runs in as short a stint. His start was the shortest by anyone since Roger Clemens(notes) lasted only two innings for Houston in Game 1 in 2005 because of a bad hamstring.

Like CC Sabathia(notes) in Game 4, Burnett pitched after only three days rest, one day less than usual. Unlike Sabathia, Burnett was vulnerable, although manager Joe Girardi said his struggles were unrelated to the short rest.

"It was a command issue," Girardi said. "He felt good, he just struggled."

It was the shortest outing by a Yankee pitcher since David Wells(notes) lasted only an inning of Game 5 in the 2003 Series because of back spasms, the day after he boasted that conditioning was overrated.

Phillies second baseman Chase Utley(notes) stole a page out of the Reggie Jackson retrospective, hitting two home runs to join Jackson as the only player to hit five home runs in a single Series. Jackson hit five in 1977 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, three in one game. Utley, who also had two home runs in Game 1, joins Willie Aikens of the Kansas City Royals as the only player to have two multi-homer games in a single Series. He also became the first player to hit five home runs in the first five games of a Series.

Instead of popping champagne corks, the Yankees, despite scoring four runs in their final two innings, were handed train tickets to return to the Bronx for Game 6 on Wednesday night. They lead the Series 3-2, but with a bit of recent history no doubt fostering a thread of doubt among their followers.

The Yankees have never lost a World Series in which they led 3-1. On eight previous occasions, they have formed a pinstriped conga line of celebration.

They are, however, the only team in baseball history ever to have blown a 3-0 series lead in the postseason, losing the 2004 ALCS in seven games to the Boston Red Sox. And an alumnus of that '04 Boston team, Pedro Martinez(notes), will start Game 6 for the Phillies.

And unlike his Yankees counterpart, Andy Pettitte(notes), Martinez will be fully rested, Girardi having elected to try and win the Series with three starters working on three days rest. Burnett was solid in Game 2, holding the Phillies to one run on seven hits in a 3-1 win over Pedro and the Phillies last Thursday night in the Bronx.

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But Monday night, he continued a confounding pattern that has plagued him throughout his career, the reason he has won more than 13 games in a season just once despite having some of the best stuff in the game. Burnett not only couldn't close out the Series, he couldn't win the Arkansas intramural championship, as he was shown up by Benton native Cliff Lee(notes) in the first Series matchup ever between native Arkansans. The state likes to claim Schoolboy Rowe, the former Tiger who grew up there and faced Arkansas natives Lon Warneke in the '35 Series and Paul Dean in '34, but Rowe was born in Texas.

"If we would have pitched today, we probably would have won," Girardi said. "That's the bottom line."

By the time Burnett had thrown eight pitches, he had given up three runs. Phillies leadoff man Jimmy Rollins(notes) lined his sixth pitch into center for a single. Burnett's next pitch hit Shane Victorino(notes) in the hand as he was attempting to bunt. Utley, whose three previous home runs in this Series had all come off Sabathia, hit pitch No. 8 into the right-field seats.

Utley walked and stole second to open the third, and Burnett issued his fourth walk of the game by losing Ryan Howard(notes) on a full count. Jayson Werth(notes) singled home one run, Raul Ibanez(notes) singled home another, and Burnett was done for the night. The sixth run charged to him was scored on a force play.

The Phillies had scored multiple runs in an inning only once since Game 1 until getting Burnett twice Monday night.

Lee has pitched well enough in this postseason to beat all comers from all 50 states. Lee gave up a run to the Yankees in the first inning, the first earned run he had allowed in 18 1/3 consecutive innings, and another in the fifth, but was ahead 8-2 when the Yankees touched him for three more in the eighth. He is now 4-0 in his five postseason starts.