Phil Coke: Lefty relives Series battle with red-hot Utley

Game 1, World Series, Oct. 28, 2009.

Top of the ninth. The Philadelphia Phillies are leading the host New York Yankees, 5-0. There are 50,207 fans in the stands, and a world-wide audience tuning in on television.

One out, runners on first and second. The Yankees have spent the previous four months giving opposing managers’ fits with late-inning rallies. To New York, this remains a winnable ballgame.

Up to the plate steps Phillies all-star Chase Utley, who has already hammered two home runs on this afternoon off Yanks’ starter CC Sabathia.

New York manager Joe Girardi dials up the bullpen.

Sonoran Phil Coke promptly races out of that pen for his World Series debut.

“There wasn’t anything specific on my mind, other than ‘Get him out,’ ” Coke recalled. “If we were down in a game, I would just try and help us stay close and give our offense a chance to come back — which our team did so well all season.”  

Coke’s first delivery is clocked at 92 MPH — the ball comes in a tad high and inside. The left-handed Utley takes for ball one.

“That pitch was in a little bit more than I wanted it to be,” said Coke. “It was supposed to be a sinker. And the ball rowed into him because I kind of flattened out on my mechanics.”

Coke then delivers a 92-MPH fastball which Utley takes for a strike.

“That was more of a make-up pitch,” said Coke. “Since I missed with that prior pitch, I was thinking, ‘Here you go. I’m gonna get my first strike right now.’ ”

Coke then fires his signature pitch: Slider. Utley holds his bat as the ball veers a bit outside.

“Sometimes,” said Coke, “depending on your level of excitement, the ball tends to break more than you want it to. It broke more left-to-right, rather than diagonally.”

With the count 2-and-1, Coke delivers a 92-MPH fastball, which Utley takes — and the umpire calls a ball.

“That particular pitch was close enough where the call could have gone either way and it went in Utley’s favor instead of mine,” said Coke. “Before the next pitch, I was a little frustrated that the umpire’s zone was a little tight.

“So, I took a deep breath. I made sure I was dialed in as to what I needed to do and proceeded from there and went back after him.”

Coke lets fly a fastball right down the pipe which Utley swings at, fails to get around, and fouls off.

“Sometimes,” said Coke, “you just have to challenge a guy. It’s like, ‘Alright, you’re hot right now: Hit this one. I want to see you beat me right now, because I am not gonna walk you.’

“So I had forced one down his throat, surprised him a little bit, and he got a little anxious and mis-hit the ball.”

The count is 3-and-2.

Utley stares at Coke.

Coke stares right back.

Then the former Sonora Wildcat fires a rocket to the plate.

Utley swings and ... the ball is popped up to center field for an out.

The Yankees aren’t able to muster a ninth-inning rally in Game 1, but win the next three contests, and ultimately the series, 4-2.

“The season as a whole was amazing,” said Coke. “That I was always chomping at the bit was a good sign for Joe Girardi. Being a competitor, I would have pitched in every single game if I was allowed to — especially the tight ones.

“That just meant I was having more fun.”