NEW YORK (AP) -Hundreds of Yankees fans poured into the streets of New York early Thursday to celebrate the team's 27th World Series championship, a party that extended uptown and began building hours earlier when the crowd at Yankee Stadium danced and sang to the music even before the first pitch.
Fans in Yankees jerseys and hats who watched the 7-3 victory over Philadelphia at sports bar Stout spilled out onto 33rd Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues early Thursday in Manhattan. Greeted by an NYPD van, several patrol cars with lights flashing and officers standing on street corners, they remained well-behaved.
New York City police said there were no early reports of disturbances related to the Yankees victory.
A ticker-tape parade and ceremony to honor the team has been scheduled for Friday.
Outside the team's $1.5 billion ballpark in the Bronx, 16-year-old Ryan Wessel of Somers, N.Y., bought two Yankees hat right after the game. He reveled in the team's win, underscored by Hideki Matsui's record-tying six RBIs. Matsui was named World Series MVP.
``He definitely should have gotten it,'' Wessel said. ``He's my favorite player.''
Fans at Stout yelled, ``MVP! MVP! MVP!'' every time Matsui came to bat.
The three-level bar was packed most of Wednesday evening with fans from as far away as San Diego hanging on every pitch as they watched Game 6 on flat-screen televisions.
``It's phenomenal,'' said Robert Christiansen, 41, of Malverne, N.Y. ``It's all you can ask for.''
When Yankees left-hander Damaso Marte struck out Phillies second baseman Chase Utley on three pitches with two runners on to end the top of the seventh inning, a sense of relief overcame the packed house at Stout.
The crowd responded to the strikeout by chanting: ``Yankees! Yankees! Yankees!''
Gabriel Ortega, 28, a credit card executive from San Diego, called it ``an extraordinary game; it's keeping us on our toes.''
``We love Matsui,'' said Ortega.
Fans had waited nine years since the team's last World Series win, a Subway Series against their crosstown rivals, the Mets, in 2000.
Some were quick to note that before the series began, Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins had predicted a Philadelphia victory in five games.
But it was a quiet night on Broad Street in Philadelphia, where thousands of fans partied when the Phillies won the National League championship.
There were no postgame troubles in the city early Thursday, Philadelphia police spokesman Officer Stephen Malen said.
At Yankee Stadium, the stands trembled after each key hit.
A television blimp circled above the stadium during the entire game, and at one point the electronic lettering on the side beamed ``Lisa, will you marry me? Love John.''
The blimp circled the stadium again, and on the next round it brought the answer: She said ``yes.''
---
Associated Press writer Verena Dobnik in New York City contributed to this report.
