2009 World Series

The 2009 World Series was the <a href="/facts/World_Series/l50eYfN3">championship series</a> of <a href="/facts/Major_League_Baseball/4WW9yef3">Major League Baseball</a>'s (MLB) <a href="/facts/2009_Major_League_Baseball_season/RkSMtv7j">2009 season</a>. As the 105th edition of the World Series, it was a <a href="/facts/Best-of-seven_playoff/TPyp0Y5I">best-of-seven playoff</a> contested between the <a href="/facts/2009_Philadelphia_Phillies_season/4oQvl5Sx">Philadelphia Phillies</a>, champions of the <a href="/facts/National_League_(baseball)/xTHwLBAD">National League</a> (NL) and <a href="/facts/2008_Philadelphia_Phillies_season/k2uN1bEz">defending World Series champions</a>, and the <a href="/facts/2009_New_York_Yankees_season/SCSuuBDG">New York Yankees</a>, champions of the <a href="/facts/American_League/vhj33tlS">American League</a> (AL). The Yankees defeated the Phillies, 4 games to 2, winning their 27th World Series championship. 
The series was played between October 28 and November 4, broadcast on <a href="/facts/Major_League_Baseball_on_Fox/06Rj6elH">Fox</a>, and watched by an average of roughly 19 million viewers. <a href="/facts/Home_advantage/FDLem0tC">Home field advantage</a> for the Series went to the AL for the eighth straight year as a result of its 4–3 win in the <a href="/facts/2009_Major_League_Baseball_All-Star_Game/wDquhWuW">All-Star Game</a>. The Phillies earned their berth into the <a href="/facts/2009_Major_League_Baseball_season/RkSMtv7j">playoffs</a> by winning the <a href="/facts/National_League_East/H3xoCFVz">National League East</a>. The Yankees won the <a href="/facts/American_League_East/uDY9xTST">American League East</a> to earn their berth, posting the best record in the Major Leagues. The Phillies reached the World Series by defeating the <a href="/facts/2009_Colorado_Rockies_season/Dqazbc8p">Colorado Rockies</a> in the best-of-five <a href="/facts/2009_National_League_Division_Series/DfUEDVJS">National League Division Series</a> and the <a href="/facts/2009_Los_Angeles_Dodgers_season/QKf6YAYa">Los Angeles Dodgers</a> in the best-of-seven <a href="/facts/2009_National_League_Championship_Series/eVqQbJ0y">NL Championship Series</a> (NLCS). The Yankees defeated the <a href="/facts/2009_Minnesota_Twins_season/q5lGWmoy">Minnesota Twins</a> in the <a href="/facts/2009_American_League_Division_Series/aq2CKd9k">American League Division Series</a> and the <a href="/facts/2009_Los_Angeles_Angels_of_Anaheim_season/unpaXmz1">Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim</a> in the <a href="/facts/2009_American_League_Championship_Series/TxRerw4k">AL Championship Series</a> (ALCS) to advance to their first World Series since <a href="/facts/2003_World_Series/GJDcveV7">2003</a>. As a result of their loss, the Phillies became the first team since the <a href="/facts/2001_World_Series/06depgYk">2001</a> Yankees to lose the World Series after winning it the previous year. As of 2024, this is the most recent World Series to feature a defending champion. 
<a href="/facts/Cliff_Lee/91sEoPCf">Cliff Lee</a> pitched a <a href="/facts/Complete_game/lNWv7Fk0">complete game</a> in the Phillies' Game 1 victory, allowing only one <a href="/facts/Earned_run/rkT4D7Rp">unearned run</a>, while <a href="/facts/Chase_Utley/bdeafeek">Chase Utley</a> hit two home runs. In Game 2, solo <a href="/facts/Home_run/op1enhjP">home runs</a> by <a href="/facts/Mark_Teixeira/aN7WXsFG">Mark Teixeira</a> and <a href="/facts/Hideki_Matsui/BtVIrADH">Hideki Matsui</a> helped the Yankees win by a score of 3–1. After a <a href="/facts/Rain_delay/k4lhL9bw">rain delayed</a> start, Game 3 featured more offense, with a combined six home runs and thirteen total <a href="/facts/Run_(baseball)/IP2KJrgQ">runs</a> en route to a Yankee victory. The Yankees won Game 4 by scoring the decisive three runs in the ninth inning after an alert <a href="/facts/Base_running/Dc9CsLFX">base running</a> play by <a href="/facts/Johnny_Damon/JsJAM2LD">Johnny Damon</a>. The Phillies avoided elimination with a win in Game 5, aided by Utley's second two–home run game of the series. The Yankees secured their World Series championship with a Game 6 victory in which Matsui hit his third home run of the series. He was named <a href="/facts/World_Series_Most_Valuable_Player_Award/oYHn7ycx">Most Valuable Player</a> (MVP) of the series, making him the first Japanese-born player and the first full-time <a href="/facts/Designated_hitter/DQdvFBNY">designated hitter</a> to win the award. Matsui was the series' MVP despite starting only the three games that were played at Yankee Stadium, since the designated hitter position was not used in NL ballparks at the time.
Several records were tied, extended, or broken during this World Series, including team championships (Yankees with 27), career postseason wins (<a href="/facts/Andy_Pettitte/GN57sVap">Andy Pettitte</a> with 18), career World Series <a href="/facts/Save_(baseball)/jRnJLEyv">saves</a> (<a href="/facts/Mariano_Rivera/mqts6Mx9">Mariano Rivera</a> with 11), home runs in a World Series (Utley with five), <a href="/facts/Strikeout/LVyhvjnh">strikeouts</a> by a hitter in a World Series (<a href="/facts/Ryan_Howard/Iyw3PW2M">Ryan Howard</a> with 13), and <a href="/facts/Run_batted_in/nMKo0RLc">runs batted in</a> in a single World Series game (Matsui with six).

2009 World Series open-in-new

2009 World Series