NEW YORK -- With the New York Yankees, it is all about history and the legends who wore the pinstripes, a monolithic franchise that towers over all others, both in terms of titles and Hall of Famers.

On Wednesday, another chapter was written. Another hero was born. Another flag was raised.

By polishing off the Philadelphia Phillies, 7-3, the Yankees won the World Series, triumphing with a roster that cost more than $200 million in an opulent new ballpark priced at $1.5 billion. But the number that stood out was 27, which is the number of Series titles now in their possession.

No other team is even close.

``We stand here as world champions!'' yelled Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez in the pandemonium on the field. It was the first title for Rodriguez in his 16 major league seasons.

Hideki Matsui became an instant folk hero by driving in six runs to equal a Series one-game record. Andy Pettitte chalked up another win while the champagne was chilling. And Joe Girardi, fired three years ago by the Marlins, managed the Yankees to their first title in nine years.

The celebration included a charged crowd of 50,315 at the new Yankee Stadium, which sits in the shadow of the vacant old one. It had much to cheer.

There was Matsui, who drove in two runs in each of his first three at bats with a home run, a single and a double. He tied the Series record of six RBI in one game, set in 1960 by former Yankee Bobby Richardson.

There was Pettitte, the elder statesman of the Yankees staff, who was pumping 94 pitches to the defending champion Phillies on three days' rest.

And there was Girardi, who started wearing No. 27 on his uniform when he took the Yankees job two years ago a reminder of the team's quest for a 27th title.

``This one is for the boss,'' Girardi said of George Steinbrenner while holding aloft the Series trophy. ``This team, they never stopped fighting.''

The Yankees won a major league-leading 103 games during the regular season, easily winning their division, blew through the first two rounds of the playoffs, and took care of the Phillies in six games.

They went to work on Philadelphia early in Wednesday's game.

After walking Rodriguez on four pitches to start the second, Phillies starter Pedro Martinez needed eight pitches to resolve his battle with Matsui, the Yankees' designated hitter. In the end, Martinez lost.

Matsui was out in front of three pitches that he fouled off during the at bat. One curved just foul of the pole in right field. But when he made contact a fourth time, Matsui's aim was true, the ball landing on the second outfield tier in right for a 2-run home run.

The Phillies got one run back in the third. Ninth hitter Carlos Ruiz tripled off the wall in left-center and scored on Jimmy Rollins' sacrifice fly.

But the Martinez of new is a poor facsimile of the Martinez of old, and the Yankees renewed their assault in the third, beginning with Derek Jeter's sinking liner to center that Shane Victorino misplayed into a single. Victorino, who backed up initially before realizing his mistake and reversing course, couldn't catch up to the ball, which bounced in front of his glove for a hit.

The mistake proved damaging. Johnny Damon walked and Mark Teixeira was hit by a pitch for the third time of the Series, loading the bases for Rodriguez, But after Rodriguez struck out looking for the second out, Martinez couldn't wiggle out of the jam as Matsui delivered again, this time on a single to center that scored two more runs and made the score 4-1.

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