By Jared Hoffman / MLB.com

	Yankees

Five cabs: VIP, police escort
Four cabs: Green lights, little traffic, life is good
Three cabs: Clean backseat, no accidents
Two cabs: Your driver takes "the scenic route"
One cab: Gridlock, 102 degrees in the city, no AC, missing window crank

Bernie Williams: Williams put the game out of reach in the ninth inning and did so the hard way -- with a three-run homer to cavernous center field at Pro Player Stadium. Any thoughts the Marlins might have had about coming back against the Yankees went out of the park along with Williams' homer. With one swing of the bat, Williams turned a a two-run game into a 6-1 Yankees' advantage. Williams also set career postseason records for home runs (19) and RBIs (65).

Mike Mussina: Mussina gave up a run on two hits in the first inning and after that got really stingy. Although the only 1-2-3 inning Mussina had was in the fourth, he kept the Marlins off the scoreboard for the remainder of his seven-inning start. In the sixth inning, with runners at the corners and one out, Mussina snatched a grounder that was headed toward center field off the bat of Derrek Lee and was able get the runner at third base, Ivan Rodriguez, out on a rundown and prevent Florida from taking the lead.

Derek Jeter: Jeter might have been the only thing between Marlins starter Josh Beckett and a no-hitter. Jeter got all three of the Yankees hits against Beckett and two of those hits led to runs. After Beckett retired the first 10 Yankees to start the game, Jeter doubled with one out in the fourth inning and eventually scored on a bases-loaded walk to Jorge Posada. In the eighth inning, Jeter doubled down the right-field line to knock Beckett out of the game. Jeter tagged up on a fly ball to center hit by Bernie Williams and advanced to third. From there, he had no problem scoring on Hideki Matsui's base hit to left field.

Hideki Matsui: Matsui continues to deliver big hits in the postseason. His two-out single to left field in the eighth scored Derek Jeter from third base and broke a 1-1 tie. With the lead in hand thanks to Matsui, the Yankees were able to use a well-rested Mariano Rivera to close out the final two innings. Matsui is hitting .455 for the World Series.

Aaron Boone: It's been somewhat of a tough going for Boone since sending the Yankees to the World Series with a game-winning home run in Game 7 of the ALCS against the Red Sox. In the third inning with two outs, he booted a grounder hit by Ivan Rodriguez for his third error of the World Series and fourth of the postseason. However in the ninth inning, Boone hit a solo home run to left to double the Yankees' one-run lead.

	Marlins

Five fish: Whale of a performance
Four fish: Starfish
Three fish: Happy as a clam
Two fish: Nice minnow
One fish: Sorry, Charlie

Josh Beckett: Beckett certainly lived up to the billing of Marlins ace with his performance in Game 3. He began the game by retiring the first 10 batters he faced, including four on strikeouts. In 7 1/3 innings, Beckett limited the Marlins to two runs on three hits and three walks and struck out 10. Beckett's only tough inning was the fourth when he walked in a run after he allowed a double, walk and hit a batter. Beckett didn't like the call on the walk that forced in a run but didn't let it bother him. He retired the next four batters and 11 of 13 before allowing a one-out double in the eighth to Derek Jeter, who later scored on Hideki Matsui's single against Dontrelle Willis.

Juan Pierre: Pierre helped the Marlins score the game's first run with a double to right field to start the game. He later scored on Miguel Cabrera's single to right to give the Marlins a 1-0 advantage. After a 39-minute rain delay in the fifth inning, Pierre was the first batter up and banged out a single past Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter. However, he ended the inning when he was caught stealing second base.

Derrek Lee and Mike Lowell: Lowell led the Marlins with 32 homers and 105 RBIs this season. Lee was second in home runs (31) and third in RBIs (92). There have been no signs of that prudction yet this Series. In Game 3, with Lee batting fifth and Lowell in the No. 6 spot, they went a combined 0-for-8 and stranded seven runners. Through three games of the World Series, Lee is batting .167, and Lowell is hitting .067.

Luis Castillo: The Marlins need better production from their No. 2 hitter, who went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Game 3 to drop his average for the series down to .231. After Pierre began the bottom of the first inning with a double, Castillo struck out and failed to advance Pierre to third base. In the seventh, with two outs and the score tied 1-1 and first base open, the Yankees intentionally walked Pierre to get Castillo, who struck out to end the inning.

Marlins bullpen: The Marlins relief corps wasn't able to follow Beckett's lead. Willis came on in the eighth and gave up a walk to the first batter he faced. After retiring Bernie Williams on a fly out, Willis gave up a base hit to Matsui that gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead. Things got worse from there as Chad Fox allowed a home run to Aaron Boone and Braden Looper allowed a three-run homer to Bernie Williams that put the game out of reach.

Jared Hoffman is an editorial producer for MLB.com. This story was not subject to approval by Major League Baseball or its clubs.