With Cliff Lee making a mockery out of the Yankees offense and a late-inning bullpen implosion, the only positive storyline to emerge from last night’s game was Andy Pettitte. The Yankees required a quality start if there was ever going to be any possibility of defeating Lee (especially given the pitching struggles witnessed in the first two games), and Pettitte, in vintage fashion, delivered. Andy allowed five hits, struck out five and allowed two runs over seven innings. He walked none and posted an obscenely good 0.714 WHIP. He was so effective that the likely-AL-MVP Josh Hamilton was the only hitter that managed to generate any damage.
What’s rather amazing is that this type of competitive performance is nothing new. Pettitte has accumulated 19 postseason wins during his career because of his consistency. Abnormal rest and playing conditions simply don’t deter him from doing what he does best — give the team a chance to win.
| Year | Series | Rslt | Opp | W | L | W-L% | ERA | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | WHIP | H/9 | HR/9 | BB/9 | SO/9 | SO/BB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | ALDS | W | MIN | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | ="" onmouseout="" align="right">2.57 | 7.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0.857 | 6.4 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 5.1 | 4.00 |
| 2010 | ALCS | L | TEX | 0 | 1 | .000 | 2.57 | 7.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0.714 | 6.4 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 6.4 | |
| 13 Seasons (30 Series) | 19 | 10 | .655 | 3.83 | 263.0 | 271 | 116 | 112 | e="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; font-weight: bold; font-size: 0.9em; white-space: nowrap; background-color: rgb(221, 221, 221);" onclick="" onmouseout="" align="right">31 | 72 | 173 | 1.304 | 9.3 | 1.1 | 2.5 | 5.9 | 2.40 | |||
| W | L | W-L% | ERA | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | WHIP | H/9 | HR/9 | BB/9 | SO/9 | SO/BB | ||||
| 12 ALDS | 6 | 3 | .667 | 3.63 | 86.2 | 87 | 35 | 35 | 10 | 22 | onclick="" onmouseout="" align="right">59 | 1.258 | 9.0 | 1.0 | 2.3 | 6.1 | 2.68 | |||
| 1 NLDS | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 3.86 | 7.0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 0.857 | 5.1 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 7.7 | 3.00 | |||
| 8 ALCS | 7 | 2 | .778 | 3.63 | 79.1 | 82 | 32 | 32 | 18 | 46 | 1.261 | 9.3 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 5.2 | 2.56 | ||||
| 1 NLCS | 0 | 1 | .000 | 5.11 | 12.1 | 15 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 1.541 | 10.9 | 0.7 | 2.9 | 4.4 | 1.50 | |||
| 8 WS | 5 | 4 | .556 | 4.06 | 77.2 | 83 | 39 | 35 | 5 | 26 | 56 | 1.403 | 9.6 | 0.6 | 3.0 | 6.5 | 2.15 | |||
I realize there isn’t a whole lot of consolation to be found in a loss, especially a tough one in the American League Championship Series. However, I think the reality of the situation is pretty straightforward. A.J. Burnett will take the mound tonight while the rest of us consult our favorite astrological signs for a glimpse at the outcome. CC Sabathia will have a chance at redemption. And depending on the progress of the series, there’s a chance Andy Pettitte will come back for seconds. If it gets to that point, I’ll take my chances. After all, he’s proven time and time again that he’s capable of delivering when the team needs him most.
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0 Responses to Singing Andy Pettitte’s praises
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TIQ IQ
Actually, I wrote an article saying kinda the opposite. if you're interested, read:
http://www.andaplayertobenamedlater.com/2010/10/is-andy-pettitte-really-postseason-stud.html
Hey P-Cat,
Very nicely done post, and I think we'd all agree with you. It's been shown several times (TYU also recently did a piece on it) that contrary to popular belief, Pettitte doesn't elevate and become some mystical, magical postseason deity. As the numbers show, he's still the same pitcher in the playoffs as he is in the regular season.
Fortunately for the Yankees, that just means he's good, and that's more of what I think Matt was trying to point out in his post here. Not that Andy is superhuman in the postseason; just that he's reliable, as he's always been throughout his career.
Thanks for stopping by P-Cat. You're post is well written and correct. Pettitte's performances don't warrant the same larger-than-life ravings that say, Cliff Lee deserves. And to your point, the announcers almost always embellish the reality of the circumstance.
However, what the Yankees do get with Pettitte is relatively consistent quality. He provides outings that are reflective of his career more often than not which is pretty good. Game 3’s solid outing was a perfect example of this. Anything less would have annulled any chance of defeating Cliff Lee. What the discussion ultimately comes down to (in my eyes), is which pitchers give the team a chance to win. Given Andy’s contributions, I place him in this category.
Hopefully this time next year, the Yankees will have obtained Cliff Lee and the conversation will be refocused on how absurdly dominant he actually becomes in the postseason.