Top 5 Andy Pettitte Moments
by Ed Easton Jr.
Andy Pettitte has decide to come back to baseball. Below are some of his most outstanding moments on the field with the Yankees.
#5 - October 7, 2010 - 19th Postseason Win
Pettitte pitches seven strong innings as the Yankees defeat the Twins 5 - 2 in Game 1 of the 2010 ALDS. The win would serve as Pettitte's last playoff victory and become a Major League record 19th overall. The Yankees were able to snatch home field advantage from the Twins and sweep them in three games.
#4 - October 19, 2003 - World Series, Game 2 vs. Florida
Pettitte lived up to his big game reputation in this match-up against a very young and talented Florida Marlins team. Pettitte was perfect through four innings, eventually leaving with two outs in the ninth inning of a Yankees 6 - 1 victory. Pettitte's statline was: 8.2 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
#3 - June 19, 2007 - 200th Career Win As A Yankee
Pettitte pitches over 7 strong innings to earn his 200th career win as a Yankee and 237th overall. He became the third Yankee to achieve 200 wins, joining Whitey Ford and Red Ruffing. Pettitte also surpass 3,000 career innings in the game as well.
#2 - October 17, 2001 - ALCS, Game 1 vs. Seattle
The Seattle Mariners rolled through the 2001 regular season as the best team in baseball with a franchise record 116 wins. Pettitte was dominant throughout the game only facing two batters over the minimum in 8 innings of work. Pettitte would also go on to win game 5 and earn series MVP honors as the Yankees defeated Seattle 4 games to 1. Pettitte's statline in Game 1 was: 8 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
#1 - October 24, 1996 - World Series, Game 5 vs. Atlanta
In probably the signature game of his career, a young Pettitte recovered from a disastrous Game 1 loss. Pettitte out-pitched the great John Smoltz in Atlanta leading the Yankees to a 1 - 0 win and eventually capturing the World Series title a few days later. The win began a streak of success for the Yankees. They would enjoy four more titles while Pettitte was in pinstripes. Pettitte's statline: 8.1 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
Other notable career highlights
- On September 21, 2008, Pettitte was the last starting pitcher for the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. He recorded his 2,000th career strikeout in the second inning, retiring Baltimore Orioles catcher Ramon Hernandez.
- In 2004, Pettitte became the first pitcher in Major League Baseball history to start and win three series-clinching playoff games in the same year.
- Pettitte's 148 wins from 2000 to 2009 were the most in the decade among starting pitchers.
