NEW YORK -- At $210 million this year, the New York Yankees have spent enough money to be baseball`s best team. And for the first time in nine years, they are.

By virtue of their 7-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees won the World Series four games to two and gained their first world championship since they beat the Mets in 2000.

Additionally, the Yankees became the first team since 1998, when they won 114 games and the World Series, to have the major leagues` best undisputed record in a season (103-59) and then capture the World Series that season. (Boston tied for the most victories in 2007 and then won the World Series.)

For manager Joe Girardi, whose job became jeopardized

Catcher Jorge Posada leaps in the air as the Yankees celebrate the franchise's 27th World Series title Wednesday night. ( Eric Gay )
after one season when he dared to bring the Yankees home in third place in the division in 2008, it fulfilled the prophecy of his having asked to wear No. 27 when he signed on as manager. The Yankees had 26 world titles when Girardi was hired.

And, with the defending world champion Phillies going down, still no National League team has won back-to-back World Series since the 1975-76 Cincinnati "Big Red Machine."

Yankees designated hitter Hideki Matsui`s $13 million probably will be subtracted from that $210 million as his four-year contract has expired. If so, the 35-year-old, whose world championship was his first in his seven years with the Yankees, gave the fans something by which to remember him.

Matsui, who was eight for 13 in the Series, including three homers -- despite sitting out three starts on the road -- knocked in six runs Wednesday, tying the single-game record set by the Yankees` Bobby Richardson in 1960.

Matsui knocked in two runs each on a second-inning home run, a third-inning single and a fifth-inning double en route to the World Series MVP award.

Pedro Martinez, a longtime Boston star, said he realized he was pitching for more than just the Phillies on Wednesday night. Aware that Red Sox fans were rooting against the Yankees -- and for him -- the 38-year-old Martinez had said Tuesday, "I know they don`t like the Yankees to win, not even in Nintendo games."

But the Red Sox fans, let alone those of the Phillies, were disappointed as Martinez was not the same pitcher who had the Yankees on their heels in Game 2, though he lost that game as well. Martinez lasted just four innings, throwing 77 pitches and giving up four runs.

Andy Pettitte, the Yankees` starter who has a record 18 postseason wins, completed the trifecta of starting and winning the clinching game in all three Yankees postseason series this year. On Wednesday, the 37-year-old was pitching on three days` rest for the first time in three years and labored a bit but survived 52/3 innings before turning the game over to the bullpen.

The Yankees jumped ahead 2-0 in the second as Matsui did something he had achieved the last time he faced Martinez. He hit a home run. After a prolonged at-bat with Alex Rodriguez on base, Matsui reached the second deck in right field.

The Phillies cut the lead in half in the third. Carlos Ruiz, the ninth-place hitter, who was on base all four times he batted, smacked a triple off the left-center-field fence and scored on Jimmy Rollins` sacrifice fly.

But the Yankees and Matsui answered with two more in their third.

Derek Jeter singled with one out when center fielder Shane Victorino, back in play after suffering a bruised right index finger on Monday, misjudged the ball hit right at him and had to short-hop it.

Johnny Damon then worked Martinez for a walk and Martinez hit Mark Teixeira with a pitch.

Martinez fanned Rodriguez on a pitch that looked a bit outside, but Matsui singled with two strikes to drive in two more runs.

"It feels better than I remember it," Derek Jeter said. "It`s been a long time."

"My teammates, coaches and the organization stood by me and now we stand here as world champions," said Rodriguez, who admitted using steroids from 2001-03 while with Texas. "We`re going to enjoy it, and we`re going to party!"

Yankees 7, Phils 3 Philadelphia New York

ab r h bi ab r h bi

Rollins ss 4 0 0 1 Jeter ss 5 2 3 0

Victorn cf 4 0 1 0 Damon lf 1 1 0 0

Utley 2b 3 1 0 0 HrstnJr lf 2 0 0 0

Howard 1b 4 1 1 2 Teixeir 1b 3 1 1 1

Werth rf 2 0 0 0 ARdrgz 3b 2 2 1 0

Ibanez dh 3 0 2 0 HMatsu dh 4 1 3 6

P.Feliz 3b 4 0 0 0 Posada c 3 0 0 0

BFrncs lf 3 0 0 0 Cano 2b 4 0 0 0

Stairs ph 1 0 0 0 Swisher rf 3 0 0 0

C.Ruiz c 2 1 2 0 Gardnr cf 4 0 0 0

Totals 30 3 6 3 Totals 31 7 8 7

Philadelphia 001 002 000--3

New York 022 030 00x--7

DP--New York 2. LOB--Philadelphia 8, New York 7. 2B--Ibanez 2 (4), Jeter (3), H.Matsui (1). 3B--C.Ruiz (1). HR--Howard (1), H.Matsui (3). SB--Rollins (3), A.Rodriguez (1). S--Hairston Jr.. SF--Rollins.

IP H R ER BB SO

Philadelphia

P.Martinez L,0-2 4 3 4 4 2 5

Durbin 1-3 2 3 3 1 0

Happ 1 1 0 0 1 3

Park 1 1 0 0 0 1

S.Eyre 1 1-3 0 0 0 1 2

Madson 1-3 1 0 0 0 0

New York

Pettitte W,2-0 5 2-3 4 3 3 5 3

Chamberlain 1 1 0 0 1 1

D.Marte H,2 2-3 0 0 0 0 2

Ma.Rivera 1 2-3 1 0 0 1 1

HBP--by P.Martinez (Teixeira). WP--Pettitte. PB--Posada.

T--3:52. A--50,315 (52,325).