Andy Pettitte

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Andrew Eugene Pettitte (Dandy Andy)

Bats Left, Throws Left
Height 6' 5", Weight 235 lb.

High School Deer Park High School

Debut April 29, 1995
Born June 15, 1972 in Baton Rouge, LA USA

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[edit] Biographical Information

Andy Pettitte has been one of the best pitchers in the history of the New York Yankees, but remains underrated: he has never won the Cy Young Award or an ERA title, or led his league in strikeouts, and he has only been an All-Star twice. Although he hasn't finished first in major pitching categories, he has often been among the leaders. Pettitte achieved an extra measure of fame in 2004 when he moved from the New York Yankees to the Houston Astros, because it was he who gave Roger Clemens much encouragement to come to the Astros with him. After three seasons in Houston, he returned to the Yankees in 2007

Pettitte was born in Louisiana in 1972, and attended Deer Park (TX) High School. He was at San Jacinto North Community College for a while. In 1990, he was drafted by the Yankees in the 22nd round, but waited instead until 1991, when he signed with the Yankees as a draft-and-follow.

From 1991 to 1995 he played in the Yankees minor league organization, and never had a losing season. In the rookie league, he had an 0.98 ERA. At Oneonta and Greensboro, he had ERA's around 2.20. In 1993, in Single A and Double A, he had a record of 12-9. In 1994, split between Double A and Triple A, he went 14-4. In 1995, after 11 2/3 innings in Triple A without giving up a run, the Yankees brought him up. As a rookie, in 1995, he went 12-9 and was third in the voting for the American League Rookie of the Year Award. In 1996, his second year in the majors, he was second in the Cy Young Award voting with a record of 21-8. In 1997, 2000, 2003, and 2005, he was in the top six in the Cy Young voting. He went 19-9 in 2000 and 21-8 in 2003. He was on the All Star team in 1996 and 2001.

In his thirteen years in the majors from 1995-2007, he has never had a losing season, coming closest in 2006, when he was 14-13 for the Astros.

Since he has played his entire career with the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros, he has constantly been in post-season play (every season except 2004, when he missed the post-season because of an injury, and 2006). He has a record of 14-9 in World Series play, having been on four World Series winners and three World Series losers. In his return to the Yankees in 2007, he became the team's elder anchor on the mound, continually giving the team solid performances as teammates such as Mike Mussina, Chien-Ming Wang, Carl Pavano and Philip Hughes battled inconsistency and injuries. He passed the 200-inning mark in both 2007 and 2008. That season, he was given the honor of starting the last game ever played in Yankee Stadium on September 21 - a fitting tribute for one of the winningest pitchers in the history of the famed ballpark. He pitched five + innings against the Baltimore Orioles to earn credit for his team's 7-3 win.

Having now passed the 200-win mark in his mid-30's, Andy Pettitte still has a chance to reach 300 victories if he displays some longevity. Even 250 victories, with his high winning percentage and experience with seven World Series teams so far, would make a trip to the Hall of Fame a strong possibility. However, he has brought up the idea that he might retire soon.

In 2007, Pettitte was named by the Mitchell Report as having taken Human Growth Hormone. He admitted to having done so later in the week, saying it took place in 2002 while he was trying to recuperate from an elbow injury. In February of 2008, he also admitted to using it in 2004 after getting some HGH from his father in an attempt to recover from a tendon injury. That February, Pettitte also made the news when he said that Roger Clemens had told him that Clemens had used HGH. Clemens said that Pettitte had not recalled the conversation correctly when confronted about it.

Pettitte and Mariano Rivera set the record for win-save combinations by a pitcher duo, with 58, breaking the mark held by Bob Welch and Dennis Eckersley.