PHILADELPHIA — Call him Shane Victorino "The Prophet.'' Also call the Flyin' Hawaiian a lucky man.

He was easy to spot in the victorious Phillies' locker room early this morning. He's the one with the sore right finger which thankfully is only bruised rather than broken.

And the one whose ballclub is still alive in its quest to become the first National League team to win back-to-back World Series since the 1975-76 Cincinnati Reds, after staving off elimination with an 8-6 Game 5 win over the New York Yankees. That sends the Series back to Yankee Stadium for Game 6 tomorrow night, with a potential Game 7 in the Bronx Thursday.

"Thumbs up. No break,'' Victorino smiled, before he started to address reporters, wearing a UFC cap and shirt. "I definitely think I'm going to play.

"When he first hit me I was thinking 'Oh, my God,' I was worried. I wanted to know how my finger was."

That came courtesy of Yankees' starter A.J. Burnett, whose inside pitch hit Victorino, a St. Anthony High alum from Maui, squarely on his right index finger as he squared to bunt in the first inning following Jimmy Rollins' leadoff single. Burnett immediately apologized when Victorino got to first base, after receiving treatment and later checked on Victorino's condition with Phillies' catcher Carlos Ruiz.

Fortunately, X-rays were negative, though the constant swelling during the night eventually forced Phillies manager Charlie Manuel to lift him late in the game. That meant Victorino had to spend the excruciating last two innings sweating it out, while the Yankees staged a desperate rally from 8-2 down. Twice they brought the potential tying run to the plate in the ninth, before Ryan Madson struck out Mark Teixeira to end it with Alex Rodriguez on deck.

Trailing 3-2 in the best-of-seven series, Victorino & Co. know the odds aren't in their favor. Only five teams in history have overcome a 3-1 Series deficit. But they refuse to concede a thing.

From the time Chase Utley smacked a three-run homer off Burnett, followed by a three-run third inning they were in the driver's seat. That's precisely the kind of explosion Victorino spoke about before the game, expressing his frustrations with the Phillies' inability to produce in such situations.

"We haven't had that big hit,'' he said nearly four hours before stepping in to face Burnett for the first time. "Those kinds of things become contagious."

Presto! An early 6-1 lead which sent Burnett to an early shower.

"We did that and were able to get to him early,'' said Victorino, who said he had trouble gripping the bat all night, going 0-for-3 to drop to .167 for the Series.

"That was big. Chase's home run was definitely a turning point. We needed to get to Burnett early in the game or else he gets better and better.

"They're still on top, 3-2, but we definitely feel good about ourselves. We're going to New York. We've played well on the road all year (a major league best-tying 48-33, followed by 4-2 in the postseason). They'll probably have their pitchers (Andy Pettitte, followed by CC Sabathia) on three days' rest. So we're confident."

Barring a turn of events, Victorino will be back in center field tomorrow.

"I should be fine," predicted Victorino. "Tomorrow (Tuesday) I can take it easy and rest.

"I know A.J. wasn't trying to retaliate (for Phillies pitchers hitting A-Rod three times in a two-game span). As I was going to first base he nodded to me 'My bad.' "

So the scene is set for tomorrow, where Yankees fans will be expecting their heroes to clinch their 27th World Championship. Victorino and the Phillies have other plans, though.

"It's been a wonderful year for me," said Victorino, an all-star for the first time. "Winning it all would be the ultimate."

Then you could call him Shane Victorino, "World Champion." Again.