Appreciate his final two starts, Yankees fans. We’re seeing the last of Andy Pettitte on a baseball field. What once was the Core Four will now be down to one: Derek Jeter.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweeted that there is “buzz” that Pettitte is set to announce his retirement as the Yankees are about to begin their final homestand of the season.
Pettitte is scheduled to pitch on Sunday, the day the organization and the fans are honoring Mariano Rivera. His final start will ironically take place in his hometown of Houston next Friday against the only other team he’s played for, the Astros.
Pettitte, 41, retired at the end of the 2010 season and made a comeback last year. In 2013, he’s 10-10 with a 3.93 ERA in 28 starts. He’s finished at .500 or above in every year of his career, so he has two starts to get a W. He will retire as the Yankees all-time strikeout leader and third on the all-time wins list behind Whitey Ford and Red Ruffing.
Nothing’s ever been easy for Pettitte, who made a name for himself by grinding through games and rising to the occasion in the biggest moments. He’ll retire with the most starts all-time in the playoffs with 44 and the most wins, 19.
Savor these last two starts. Andy is one of ours, a homegrown Yankee who has been through the battles and has come out with five World Championships. The classy guy that he is, he likely waited until the final homestand so he didn’t take the spotlight away from Mo’s farewell tour. Hopefully on Sunday the two homegrown Yankee legends can give the Yankee fans another memorable moment. Over the course of their careers, Rivera has saved 83 of Pettitte’s wins (72 in regular season) the most by far of any combo in baseball history.
Andy Pettitte’s statement on retirement:
“I’m announcing my retirement prior to the conclusion of our season because I want all of our fans to know now—while I’m still wearing this uniform—how grateful I am for their support throughout my career. I want to have the opportunity to tip my cap to them during these remaining days and thank them for making my time here with the Yankees so special.
“I’ve reached the point where I know that I’ve left everything I have out there on that field. The time is right. I’ve exhausted myself, mentally and physically, and that’s exactly how I want to leave this game.
“One of the things I struggled with in making this announcement now was doing anything to take away from Mariano’s day on Sunday. It is his day. He means so much to me, and has meant so much to my career that I would just hate to somehow take the attention away from him.”
Pettitte announcing today so fans know last home start Sun, full circle final start will be near Hou home next weekend #Yankees #Astros
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) September 20, 2013
