By MIKE FITZPATRICK
AP Baseball Writer

NEW YORK(AP) -- Andy Pettitte against Pedro Martinez, with the
Yankees one win from ecstasy.

Now that's a World Series matchup worth talking about.

Still stalking that elusive 27th championship, New York turns to
Pettitte once again in Game 6 on Wednesday night, hoping he can
pitch his team past Chase Utley and the Philadelphia Phillies on
only three days' rest.

"I think everybody knew it was going to be a great Series. I
think everybody knew it was going to be a tough Series. And it
looks like it's living up to that," Pettitte said Tuesday.

His familiar foe is pumped up, too. Martinez and Pettitte have
faced each other six times on the mound - but never with the
stakes so high.

"Two old goats out there doing the best they can and having fun
with it," Martinez said. "I don't have enough words to describe
how excited I am about being here. This is just a great gift to
me."

After wasting a chance to wrap things up in Game 5 at
Philadelphia, the Yankees set their sights on clinching at home.
They'd love to christen their $1.5 billion ballpark with a World
Series crown in its first season and give a seventh title to
79-year-old owner George Steinbrenner.

They've got two chances to do it. Game 7 would be Thursday night
in the Bronx, if necessary, with ace CC Sabathia pitching for
New York - also on short rest.

"People expect us to be great all the time. We just need to be
great tomorrow night," Johnny Damon said.

Coming off an 8-6 victory Monday night that trimmed their Series
deficit to 3-2, the defending champion Phillies took the train
to New York on Tuesday afternoon, a ride that takes a little
more than an hour. They chose not to work out at Yankee Stadium,
but their opponents did.

Martinez and Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel showed up at
the ballpark for news conferences. Manuel was uncertain whether
All-Star center fielder Shane Victorino would be able to play in
Game 6 after getting hit in the right hand with A.J. Burnett's
95 mph fastball Monday night.

If Victorino can't go, Ben Francisco would likely start in
center.

Riding Utley's homers, the Phillies are trying to become the
first team to rally from a 3-1 World Series deficit since the
1985 Kansas City Royals - and the first NL club to win
consecutive championships since the 1975-76 Cincinnati Reds.

To do it, Philadelphia might need Ryan Howard to break out of
his untimely slump. The big slugger is batting .158 (3 for 19)
with 12 strikeouts, tying the Series record set by Kansas City's
Willie Wilson in 1980.

Utley, however, is doing more than his share. His five home runs
matched the mark set by Yankees Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson in
1977.

"We have left a lot of pitches in the middle of the plate," New
York catcher Jorge Posada said. "We probably need to make him
feel a little bit more uncomfortable."

If the Yankees have a late lead, look for Mariano Rivera earlier
than usual.

Second-year manager Joe Girardi confirmed that he won't hesitate
to use his well-rested closer for multiple innings Wednesday.

"I'm not worried about my legacy," said Girardi, trying to guide
New York to its first title in nine years.

Pettitte and Martinez first squared off 11 years ago, but
they've never done so in the postseason. Both pitchers are 3-3
in six matchups, all games between the Yankees and Red Sox from
1998-2003. The visitor has won each time and Martinez has a 3.86
ERA to Pettitte's 5.88, according to STATS LLC.

With so much on the line this time, it's a delicious matchup of
gritty pros in their late 30s, long past their primes. The
forecast calls for temperatures in the mid-40s at game time,
with no rain.

"It's going to be a great game to watch," Yankees outfielder
Nick Swisher said. "It's a great place to close it out."

The 38-year-old Martinez pitched well in a Game 2 loss at Yankee
Stadium and now gets the ball on regular rest for the first time
since mid-September. He's had several long layoffs since.

"I've got no choice but to expect that it will help me. I feel
really good," he said.

The 37-year-old Pettitte, on the other hand, will have only
three days between starts for the first time since Sept. 30,
2006, with Houston. According to STATS, the savvy left-hander is
5-7 with a 4.18 ERA in 18 such outings during his career,
including the postseason.

"I really don't think there's that big of a difference,"
Pettitte insisted. "I think just mentally people make such a big
deal about it because it's just not done very often anymore."

Pettitte has worked on extra rest in his past eight starts
dating to Sept. 11, but he has a knack for closing this time of
year. He owns 17 postseason wins and five that ended series -
both big league records. Two of those clinchers came in the AL
playoffs this year.

Pettitte is 3-0 with a 3.24 ERA in four starts this postseason,
including a Game 3 win at Philadelphia. No wonder the Yankees
have plenty of confidence in him when it comes to big games.

"We've got a lot of guys who have been through this before,"
Sabathia said. "Hopefully, that experience will carry us
through."

Martinez, who sat out the first half of the season and signed
with the Phillies in mid-July, will be trying to push the Series
to a seventh game for the first time since 2002.

"I think he's ready. I think he's kind of peaking at the right
time," Manuel said. "Yeah, he's capable of throwing a real good
game."