Andrew Eugene Pettitte will go down as one of the greatest pitchers for the New York Yankees and one of the greatest, if not the greatest, postseason pitchers in MLB history.
Here’s a list of his on-field accomplishments:
- Pettitte was drafted in the 22nd round of the 1990 MLB draft by the Yankees. He chose instead to go to college and signed with the Yankees in 1991, making his major-league debut in 1995.
- In 1996, Pettitte was selected to his first All Star team and won his first World Series.
- In 1998, Pettitte and the Yankees put together a season that many consider to be the best ever in baseball, winning 114 games and a second World Series in 3 years.
- 1999 and 2000 ended the with the same result as 1998, the Yankees and Andy Pettitte winning the World Series.
- In 2005, he helped bring the Astros to their first ever World Series appearance.
- In 2009, Pettitte won every series-clinching game in the playoffs for the Yankees (ALDS, ALCS, World Series), wrapping up his 5th World Series title.
- In 1996 and 2003 he won 21 games, both career highs. In 2005 he had a career low ERA of 2.39. He’s had 2251 career strikeouts and career record of 240-138. Pettitte has never had a losing season.
- Pettitte is a 3-Time All Star (1996, 2001, 2010) and a 5-Time World Series Champion (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2009).
- What he may be known for most is turning it on in the clutch. This is proven with his 19 postseason wins, the most in MLB history.
- In 2011, Andrew Eugene Pettitte felt that his body was still able but his heart was just no longer in the game so he decided to call it a career.
All these accomplishments and numbers are great and will be reviewed by Hall of Fame voters and fans alike. Baseball is a game built on statistics. Numbers mean more in baseball than any sport. But when it comes to Andy Pettitte, it is so much more than numbers.
Andy Pettitte is the perennial good guy, that most find it hard to root against. He’s the guy that would leave his arm on the mound if his team needed him too. He never once half played or just went through the motions. When Andy Pettitte took the mound, you knew he always had a chance to win, no matter who he played and that feeling was amplified even more in the postseason. Every time he took the bump it was a treat to watch. He wasn’t the hardest thrower nor did he have the greatest movement on his pitches, but what he did have was heart and guts. Andy always found a way. Some Yankee fans may feel some resentment towards Pettitte for retiring on a year that their rotation needs him the most, but I just want to thank Pettitte for all the hard work and great times. 46 will certainly be missed. For how long remains the question, because if I know Andy Pettitte, he may find his heart is in it just in time for some more late season heroics. Either way, THANK YOU ANDY!
