PHILADELPHIA  - The Yankees did not lose the World Series on Monday.

They just didn't win it.

The 8-6 loss to the Phillies in Game 5 didn't end the series. It just extended it.
The Yankees still lead the Phillies by one game in the best-of-seven series and need one more victory to win their 27th World Series championship.

Life is still good in the Yankee Universe.

Tuesday's day off will only delay the inevitable, Yankees catcher Jose Molina said. The series ends and the celebration begins Wednesday night in Game 6 at Yankee Stadium.
Molina made a declaration. You can say he made a guarantee.

"We are going to be at home. We are going to win and that's it," Molina said. "Wednesday is another game. We'll win it and that's what we are going to do."

Molina's tough talk came on a night starter A.J. Burnett failed to live up to expectation. The right-hander gave up six runs on four hits in two innings before yielding to David Robertson. Once again, Phillies starter Cliff Lee stole the show, slowing down the Yankees offense for seven innings.

Overall, Lee was charged with five runs and walked three batters. Stellar? Hardly. It was still good enough for his second victory of the World Series.

"I felt we put some better atbats on him," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. " We hit some balls hard and we got something going and got a run in the first, and then he got a pretty big lead and we were able to get back into the game.  But I thought our guys had better atbats.  And I didn't think he was as sharp as he didn't throw as many strikes tonight. "

In the Yankees clubhouse, the players seemed more concerned with getting their equipment bags on the shipping truck than putting the loss behind them. They still won two-out-of-three games at Philadelphia's Citizen's Bank Park so the feeling of doom and gloom was noticeably absent.

The Yankees cavalier attitude could be traced in history. They have held a 3-1 advantage in the Fall Classic on nine previous occasions, winning Game 5 six times and completing their run with a championship all nine times.

"We have to play a good game and we have to find a way to win a game," Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter said. "When you look back on it, this is a tough place to play and they are real comfortable playing here. They have a great team and the bottom line is you have to play well to win."

The Phillies will send Pedro Martinez to the mound for Game 6. The Yankees have not made an official announcement but it appears that they will counter with Andy Pettitte on short rest. Should the series reach Game 7, it's likely the Yankees will bring back CC Sabathia, who also started Game 1 and Game 3.

You can argue the Yankees are in a good position in the final two games with their top two pitchers ready to pitch -- or you can argue the exact opposite because their top two pitchers should be tired by now.

"Physically I've got to see how (Pettitte) is," Girardi said. "He threw a side today and felt good.  But I'll check with him Tuesday."

Pettitte hasn't pitched on short rest since 2006 and is 4-6 with a 4.15 ERA in those situations. Overall, he is 12-4 with a 3.73 ERA in the playoffs with the Yankees but only 4-4, with a 4.00 ERA in the World Series play.

The veteran has been in this position before. He had a chance to clinch a World Series title for the Yankees in 2001 against the Diamondbacks and in 2003, he pitched in Game 6 against the Marlins. He came up short both times.

The Yankees don't seem worried.

"We're OK," left fielder Johnny Damon said. "Obviously, we wish we could have won  but it happens. They played a little bit better than us, but we're fine. We understand we have a very good chance and hopefully we can take care of it."

PHILADELPHIA -  History is ringing again.

Following Sunday's 7-4 win against the Phillies in Game 4, the Yankees are one victory away from winning the 2009 World Series championship and picking up their 27th world championship even if everybody in pinstripes refuses to talk about it.

The Yankees lead the series, 3-1 but somehow it feels like it's 0-0.

Welcome to cliche city. Ask the Yankees and they'll say they are "in the moment." They are "playing one game at a time." They are "Not thinking about the future."

But ask Yankees fans and they'll say the moment is now.  Well, the moment will come Monday night.

"It feels good to win this game but we have to come out tomorrow night and try to win again," Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter said. "Every game is big. We have yet to accomplish anything.  Our mindset is to come out here and play the game to win."

Win is what the Yankees have done the last three games against the defending champs. Why not make it four in a row?

"We've never given up," closer Mariano Rivera said. "We have the type of team that never quits.  We've worked hard all year and been working since Spring Training to get to this moment. "

The Yankees have enjoyed the moments. On Sunday, the Yankees led 4-2 after five innings but the Phillies tied the game at 4 after eight innings. In the top of the ninth, the Yankees added three runs behind the heroics of Johnny Damon and Alex Rodriguez.

"It feels good, but again, we've been down this road before, and we have to stay very focused," Rodriguez said. "Those guys are the world champs.  We're going to come out fighting, and so are we, so just staying in the moment."

Monday's moment belongs to starter A.J. Burnett, who is pitching on short rest, and Phillies starter Cliff Lee. You can argue the spotlight belongs to Burnett's personal catcher Jose Molina.

Yes, Molina won a World Series title with the Angels in 2002, but he played sparingly and was primarily known back then as Bengie's little brother.

Molina says he's not nervous and he's not too excited. Yankees fans want to believe him. All of Puerto Rico wants to believe one its favorite sons.

"For me, I'm taking it as another game and play my game," Molina said. "I'm going to look at it as a regular season game and do my job. "

Forgive Molina if he sounds cocky. He expects great things from Burnett and he should.  In four career starts on short rest, the right-hander is a perfect 4-0 with a 2.33 ERA. In his last outing, Burnett outdueled Phillies star Pedro Martinez.

"I've waited a long time for it, and I'm going to take it full stride," Burnett said. "I'm going to go out there with everything I've got, and you take nothing for granted.  I've seen some crazy things this postseason, and I guess that's why they call it postseason baseball, because anything can happen."

"But you've got a great lineup over there, and we're going up against Cliff," he continued. "So I'm just going to try to go pitch for pitch against him and keep our squad in it.  But I'm looking forward to it and can't wait."

Yankees manager Joe Girardi is probably just as excited. He's just not expressing it.

Yet.

"As far as thinking about one game, all I think about is playing a good game Monday,"  Girardi said. "Go out and play a good game tomorrow and let's see where we're at.  Continue to play the type of baseball that we're capable of playing."

Ring, ring, ring.