When he played for the Yankees, Andy Pettitte always struck me as the Rodney Dangerfield of the pitching staff. He was amazingly good and amazingly consistent, especially in the post-season, but his boss George Steinbrenner never gave him the credit he deserved. Next to his buddy Roger Clemens, though, Pettitte was the best pitcher the Yankees had during the glory years from 1998 through 2002. Well, when Clemens retired in 2003, Pettitte left New York for Houston.
Now, he’s coming back
Andy Pettitte is not a former Yankee anymore. Pettitte and the Yankees have agreed to a one-year, $16 million contract, which includes a player option for $16 million in the second year, according to Randy Hendricks, Pettitte?s agent
After Pettitte decided against retiring, he also decided against staying with his hometown Houston Astros and opted to return to the Yankees. A popular player with his teammates and fans, Pettitte was 149-78 in nine seasons with the Yankees and was a crucial part of four championship teams.
And Pettitte may not be the only one putting the pinstripes back on:
Now that the Yankees have added Pettitte, there will be speculation about whether Roger Clemens, Pettitte?s close friend and another former Yankee, might also sign a deal to return to New York. Clemens will probably take a lot longer than Pettitte to make up his mind about 2007.
I’m not sure how I feel about Clemens returning. He’s still a great pitcher, but the Yankees need to stop spending money on aging superstars.
January 4th, 2007 at 11:43 pm
[...] As I said last month, the return of Andy Pettitte to New York is long overdue. Bookmark to: [link] [...]