NEW YORK — There wasn't much to choose between the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies in the first five games of the World Series.

The Yankees scored 25 runs and the Phillies 24. Both teams had a star who was hot — Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees and Chase Utley of the Phillies — and a star who was not — the Yankees' Mark Teixeira and Philadelphia's Ryan Howard.

Both teams had strong lefthanded starters, with CC Sabathia of the Yankees and Cliff Lee of the Phillies.

But the biggest difference was at the end of the line. Including Wednesday night's Series clincher, Yankees closer Mariano Rivera saved two games, finished two others and didn't allow a run in 5 1/3 innings. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel didn't show the same confidence in Brad Lidge, who pitched just once and gave up three runs in one inning and was the losing pitcher in Game 4.

Whitey Herzog, watching in St. Louis, said he considered Rivera "the most valuable player in baseball. You can talk everything else, but that's the whole game right there.

"The guy's amazing. He keeps throwing fastballs inside. It just sails farther than the hitter thinks it's going to sail. Everyone knows he's going to give them the cut fastball and he still gets them out.

"If you don't get the Yankees by the seventh inning, you're going to get beat. By the same token, if you're tied with the Phillies after seven innings, you've got a great chance to win the game. That's a hell of a thing to say, but it's true."

Lidge, who blew 11 saves during the season, was spotless in the first two rounds of the playoffs but, after 10 days off, was the loser Sunday, knocking his overall record to 0-9 for the year.

Manuel refused to bring in Lidge on Monday, wanting to give him "a break," but still says he stands by the former Houston star.

Before the game, Manuel stopped short of saying Lidge would be the closer Wednesday night. "It's kind of how we feel," Manuel said. "And it even could be the matchups that we like. We've got everybody available tonight except Lee."

As it turned out, the Phillies had no need for a closer.