NEW YORK, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- The World Series shifts to New York for Game Three Tuesday with Arizona holding a 2-0 lead over the defending champion Yankees.
This obviously is the way Bob Brenly had it scripted for his Diamondbacks. But Joe Torre is hoping his Yankees are set to write another chapter to their dynasty.
The right-left combination of Arizona's Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson had the Yankees reeling in their bid for a fourth straight title. Johnson blanked New York on three hits 4-0 Sunday night after Schilling had opened the Series with a 9-1 victory.
"Obviously, we feel pretty good, a lot better than if we were down 0-2 or had split the first two games," Brenly said.
The Yankees expect to change their fortune when they face struggling lefthander Brian Anderson who will start for Arizona, his first start in nearly two months.
Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks will face five-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens, who will try to emulate the performances of Schilling and Johnson in the first two games.
"Roger is the key," said Yankees manager Torre. "We need to get him a lead and he needs to go out and dominate like those two guys have."
Arizona's "big two" -- 7-1 in the postseason -- have put the Diamondbacks halfway to a world title. Arizona, in its fourth year of existence, has outscored the Yankees, 13-1, in the first two games.
On Sunday, Johnson, a 38-year-old lefthander, did not allow a hit until the fifth inning when he gave up a leadoff single to Jorge Posada. He surrendered back-to-back singles in the eighth before striking out Scott Brosius looking and getting pinch hitter Luis Sojo to ground into a double play.
It was the fewest hits allowed in a World Series shutout since Orel Hershiser tossed a three-hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers in a Game Two win over the Oakland Athletics in 1988.
Johnson threw 76 of 110 pitches for strikes, walking one and striking out 11. He has won three straight starts following a tough loss in the National League Division Series. In those three starts, Johnson has yielded just two runs and 13 hits over 25 innings.
The Diamondbacks have held New York to three hits in each of the first two games. Prior to Saturday, the Yankees had not been held to three hits in a World Series game since Dodgers righthander Don Drysdale shut them down in Game Three in 1963.
Mike Mussina was disappointing for New York in Game One, yielding five runs -- three earned -- and six hits in just three innings. In Game Two, Andy Pettitte had allowed just one run before Matt Williams hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning.
"It does not get any easier from here," Williams said. "We have got Roger on Tuesday. So they play well at home, we know that. We have seen them down 2-0 before. We'll have to continue to do what we are doing, which is pitching well, playing good defense, scratching runs across when we get a chance to, doing little things."
New York hopes to continue recent history to climb back into the series. The Yankees erased a two games to none deficit against the Athletics in the best-of-five Division Series. New York has won four of the last seven World Series in which it has faced a two games to none deficit.
"We are down. There's no question," Torre said. "You can't lose two games in a seven-game series and not feel the effects. Again, this is where we need to get it back and get it going. What we did against a very good team (Oakland), we need to find that form again."
