If Pettitte pitches well and the Yankees win their 27th championship, manager Joe Girardi will be hailed for taking the gamble. If the Phillies rally from a three-games-to-one deficit and repeat as champions, he’ll be derided in New York as a risk-taking fool.

But Girardi does not have much choice.

When Chien-Ming Wang was lost for the season in July with a shoulder injury, the Yankees replaced him with scrap-heap pickups Sergio Mitre and Chad Gaudin. Then No. 4 starter Joba Chamberlain was sent to the bullpen after a series of poor starts in the final weeks of the season.

That left the Yankees with Pettitte, CC Sabathia, and A.J. Burnett.

“These are the guys that we’ve relied on all year, and we’re going to continue to do it,’’ Girardi said yesterday. “Our guys felt good, and this is what we decided.’’

Had the Yankees won the first three games of the Series, Girardi said, using a fourth starter would have been considered. When the Phillies won Game 1, the decision was made to use Sabathia, Burnett, and Pettitte on short rest.

“I talked with A.J. and CC when we went into the postseason, and we talked about this,’’ said Pettitte. “We talked about a commitment that we were all prepared for this.

“Joe put us in a situation where in the back of all of our minds, I think we all felt like, at least us three starters did, that we were going to try to go, and whatever it took to get there.’’

Pettitte is 17-9 with a 3.88 ERA in 39 career postseason starts and the Yankees are 4-1 in the games he started in this postseason. But he has not pitched on short rest since 2006. His last postseason start on short rest was in Game 2 of the 2003 World Series.

Pettitte was brilliant that night, throwing 8 2/3 shutout innings against the Marlins.

But that was six years and one elbow surgery ago.

“Physically for me, it obviously is a little concern, just seeing how my body is going to feel on that short rest, because I’m just not sure at my age,’’ said Pettitte, who was the winner in Game 3, giving up four runs in six innings despite feeling “just terrible.’’

Hamel reportedly cursed at Myers after being told, “I thought you quit.’’

Hamels had said Saturday that he wanted the season to be over, which raised eyebrows among his teammates.

The Phillies tried to defuse the situation, saying Hamels misunderstood that Myers was joking. The two are friends, according to manager Charlie Manuel.

“I think that was just actually Brett playing around, messing with him,’’ Manuel said.

Jerry Hairston, who was 1 for 3 against Martinez in Game 2, could return to right field. He is 11 for 30 in his career against Martinez. Or Girardi could try Eric Hinske, who is 8 for 30 against Martinez with one home run.

The other alternative could be to stick with Swisher.

Material from Associated Press was used in this report.