When is the last time Andy Pettitte celebrated a called strike or a great double play. Unless it is the postseason, where this mild-mannered Texan has made his baseball career with the Yankees, you are not likely to see any type of emotion from Mr. Pettitte.
He simply grabs the ball every 5 days and heads to the mound. Besides his "early" retirement and time on the DL last season, perhaps no other pitcher for the Yankees has been as consistent as Andy. I would say it is safe to say that Girardi pencils a W in his notebook every time Pettitte is scheduled to pitch, probably even before the big man C.C. While Sabathia brings the flash with his big fastball (not as fast as in 2010 of course), Pettitte brings the bang...as in more bang for your buck. Each is likely to pitch deep into the ballgame thus saving the bullpen, but Andy doesn't cost an arm and 2 legs comparatively.
C.C. didn't have a very good first start (which is known to happen), but there was Andy to throw 8 strong innings and end a skid, like he has since the late 90's. And here he is again, taking his turn in the rotation and shutting out a very young yet good hitting Cleveland team. As I say that I just literally watched Asdrubal Cabrera hit a solo home run in the 6th off of Pettitte. But Mr. Pettitte, as I'm sure he is called in the clubhouse, will bounce back and think nothing of that blip...he'll just keep pitching in a consistent manner giving his teammates in Pinstripes chance after chance to win...just as he has done now in 3 decades.
- Bryan Knepper
