Andy Pettitte

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Andy Pettitte
New York Yankees – No. 46
Starting Pitcher
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
debut
April 29, 1995, for the New York Yankees
Career statistics
(through October 2, 2007)
Win-Loss201-113
Earned Run Average3.83
Strikeouts1844
Teams

Andrew Eugene Pettitte (born June 15, 1972 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana) is an American left-handed starting pitcher for the New York Yankees.

In his major league career, he played for the New York Yankees from 1995-2003. He then signed with the Houston Astros, playing from 2004 through 2006. In 2007, Pettitte rejoined the Yankees. He won four championships as a Yankee and made the playoffs every year except for 2006.

Through 2006, Pettitte is 9th of all active major league players in win-loss percentage (.641); 13th in wins (200; all those ahead of him are older than he is); and 17th in strikeouts (1,776). He is 5th in strikeouts (1,275), tied for 6th in games started (276), and 9th in wins (149) among Yankee players. He is also one of only 5 active players with at least 180 wins, 1,700 strikeouts, and a winning percentage above .640. The others are Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, and current teammates, Roger Clemens and Mike Mussina.

Early life

Pettitte attended Deer Park High School in Deer Park, Texas. In 1990, he pitched the Deer to within one win of the state title.[1]

Selected by the Yankees in the 22nd round of the 1990 draft, he opted instead to attend San Jacinto College North (Houston, Texas), where he won 8 of 10 decisions.[1]

On May 25, 1991, he signed with the Yankees as an amateur free agent.

Minor league career

In his minor league career he went 51-22, with a 2.49 ERA in 113 starts. He never had a losing season. In the rookie league, he had an 0.98 ERA.

Major league career

Pettitte has been a 20-game winner twice, posting 21-8 records in 1996 and 2003.

Pettitte has been a part of 6 American League pennant-winning teams and 4 World Series championship teams. He is second only to John Smoltz of the Atlanta Braves in playoff wins with 14 (Smoltz having won 15). He is the only MLB pitcher since 1930 to win at least 12 games in each of his first 9 seasons.

For his career, Pettitte has a 201-112 win-loss record, with a 3.81 ERA and 1,823 strikeouts in 2,492.1 innings.

New York Yankees (1995-2003)

Pettitte made his major league debut on April 29, 1995, with the New York Yankees, with whom he spent 9 seasons in the starting rotation.

In 1996, he made the American League All-Star team and finished second to Pat Hentgen for the AL Cy Young Award. He led the league in wins (21), was 3rd in W-L pct. (.724), and was 8th in the AL in ERA (3.87).

In 1997, Pettitte led the league in starts (35), pickoffs (14), and double plays induced (36), and was 3rd in the league in innings (240.3; a career high), 4th in ERA (2.88), wins (18), and W-L pct. (.720), 6th in complete games (4), 8th in strikeouts (166), and 10th in walks/9 IP (2.43).

In 1998, he was 7th in the league in complete games (5; a career high), and 8th in wins (16).

In 2000, he was 3rd in the American League in wins (19), 6th in W-L pct. (.679), and 7th in complete games (3).

In 2001, he made the All-Star team for the second time and was named the MVP of the ALCS, after winning Games 1 and 5 against the Seattle Mariners. He was 3rd in the AL in walks/9 IP (1.84), and 8th in strikeouts (164) and strikeouts/9 IP (7.36).

In 2002, he was 9th in the AL in W-L pct. (.722) and complete games (3).

In 2003, Pettitte was 2nd in the league in wins (21), 5th in W-L pct. (.724), 6th in strikeouts (180; a career high) and strikeouts/9 IP (7.78; a career-best), 8th in games started (33), and 9th in walks/9 IP (2.16).

Houston Astros (2004-06)

After the 2003 season, Pettitte left the Yankees, signing a 3-year, $31.5 million contract with the Houston Astros. He switched his uniform number to #21, in honor of Roger Clemens, who previously wore that number in Boston and Toronto. His 2004 season, in which he held batters to a .226 batting average, was shortened by elbow surgery.

Pettitte returned to form in 2005 to help the Astros make their first trip to the World Series. His 2.39 ERA in 2005 was a career-best, and 2nd-best in the National League behind teammate Roger Clemens. He was also 2nd in the league walks/9 IP (1.66) and LOB percentage (79.7%; a career best),[1] 3rd in sacrifice hits (15), 5th in wins (17), and 8th in W-L pct. (.654). He held lefties, who over his career have outhit righties when batting against him, to a .200 batting average, had a career-best 4.17 BB/SO ratio.[2]

In 2006, Pettitte went 14-13 with a 4.20 ERA as the Astros missed the playoffs. He led the NL in starts (35), tied for 7th in pickoffs (4), and was 8th in double plays induced (26), and 10th in strikeouts (178) and batters faced (929). He held batters to a .229 batting average when there were 2 out with runners in scoring position.

New York Yankees (2007-)

Pettitte pitching at Shea Stadium in 2007

After the 2006 season, Pettitte left the Astros, and signed a 1-year, $16 million contract with the New York Yankees. There is also a player option clause in the contract which will allow Pettitte to return to New York in 2008 for $16 million. Pettitte switched his uniform number back to #46 after wearing #21 in Houston. No player has worn #21 in New York since Paul O'Neill retired in 2001. On January 11, 2007, Pettitte was re-introduced as a Yankee at a Yankee Stadium press conference.

Pettitte pitched his first game for the Yankees since 2003 on April 5, 2007 against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on a freezing night at Yankee Stadium.

Pettitte lost his first game of the season when he pitched against the Boston Red Sox on April 27, 2007. He pitched 4 2/3 innings, letting up 5 runs on 6 hits and 5 walks.

Pettitte was followed back to the Yankees by former Houston Astros teammate Roger Clemens. Both players left the Yankees after the 2003 season to play for the Astros. In May of 2007 Clemens signed with the Yankees as well and joined the Yankees rotation in June. Once again Clemens and Pettitte were pitching for the same team. Pettitte won his 200th career game on September 19, 2007.

In 2007 he led the American League in starts (34), was 7th in batters faced (916), and was 9th in innings pitched (215.3), finishing the regular season with a 15-9 win-loss record. He also had the 5th-lowest HR/9 innings pitched ratio in the AL (0.67).

Postseason career

In each of Pettitte's 9 seasons with the New York Yankees, the team advanced to the post-season.

Pettitte holds the all-time record for most starts and innings pitched in the post-season (35 and 218.2, through 2007).

When Pettitte started Game 2 of the 2005 World Series, he was tied for second for most World Series starts. Along with Christy Mathewson and Waite Hoyt, Pettitte has started in 11 of the Fall Classics. Whitey Ford is in front with 22 starts. Pettitte has played in 7 different World Series (6 with the Yankees, and one with the Astros), and been on the winning end of 18 postseason series - both of which are tops among active players.

Pettitte is 14-9 with a 3.96 ERA and 139 strikeouts in 35 postseason games (1995-2003, 2005, 2007). Pettitte has pitched 218.1 innings in the postseason.

Pitching Style

Pettitte handcuffs righthanded hitters by running his cut fastball in on their hands. He uses more breaking balls than cutters now. His changeup is a good second pitch, and he makes more extensive use of his four-seamer and sinker against lefthanded hitters.

He is known for having one of the best pickoff moves in the game. Pettitte is very tough to run on, and generally places among the leaders in pickoffs every season.

Awards

  • 1995 - AL Rookie of the Year (Voting Rank: # 3)
  • 1996 - AL Cy Young Award (Voting Rank: # 2)
  • 1996 - All-Star
  • 1996 - Good Guy Award, from the New York Sports Photographers
  • 1996 - Greater Houston Area Major League Player of the Year, from the Houston Chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America
  • 1997 - AL Cy Young Award (Voting Rank: # 5)
  • 2000 - AL Cy Young Award (Voting Rank: # 4)
  • 2001 - All-Star
  • 2001 - ALCS Most Valuable Player
  • 2003 - AL Cy Young Award (Voting Rank: # 6)
  • 2003 - Greater Houston Area Major League Player of the Year, from the Houston Chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America
  • 2003 - Warren Spahn Award, awarded annually to the top left-handed pitcher in baseball, from the Oklahoma Sports Museum
  • 2005 - NL Cy Young Award (Voting Rank: # 5)

Trivia

  • "Whatever I do, I love to win. I don't care if it's tennis or ping pong, I'll kill myself to win it." — Andy Pettitte [3]
  • Met his wife Laura in high school. Their children are Joshua Blake (11/3/94), Jared (5/28/98), Lexy Grace (1/10/01) and Luke Jackson (6/19/05).
  • Is of Italian and Cajun French descent
  • Has never had a losing season in the Major Leagues

Controversy

On September 30, 2006 the Los Angeles Times reported that former relief pitcher Jason Grimsley, during a June 6, 2006 federal raid by federal agents investigating steroids in baseball, named Pettitte as a user of performance enhancing drugs.[4] The Times reported that Pettitte was one of five names blacked out in an affidavit filed in federal court.[4] Grimsley had told investigators that he got amphetamines, anabolic steroids, and human growth hormone from someone recommended to him by former Yankees trainer Brian McNamee, who is a personal strength coach for Clemens and Pettitte.[4] However, on October 3, 2006, the Washington Post reported that San Francisco United States attorney Kevin Ryan said that the Los Angeles Times report contained "significant inaccuracies."[5] Pettitte, along with the other four players named, has denounced the story.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Former Gators Pettitte And Clemens Come Home". Gators Baseball History. San Jacinto College. Retrieved 2006-12-11.
  2. ^ http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=840&position=P
  3. ^ "Andy Pettitte Quotes". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved 2006-12-11.
  4. ^ a b c Pugmire, Lance (2006-10-01). "Clemens Is Named in Drug Affidavit". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2006-10-01. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ a b "U.S. Attorney Says Report Alleging Drug Use Contains 'Inaccuracies'". Washington Post. 2006-10-03. p. E02. Retrieved 2006-10-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

External links

Preceded by American League Wins Champion
1996 		Succeeded by
Preceded by American League Championship Series MVP
2001 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Warren Spahn Award
2003 		Succeeded by
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