At no point last night, during Andy Pettitte’s masterful first 6 innings, did I think he would actually pitch a perfect game. That’s just not the type of pitcher he is, at least historically. Attacking hitters with a below-average fastball and a heavy arsenal of curve balls, cutters and changeups, Pettitte’s modus operandi on the mound is, for the most part, inducing contact. Although the Orioles weren’t exactly putting good swings on the ball, they did regularly put the ball into play. One of those hit balls, I figured, would eventually find a hole somewhere. I just didn’t think it would be through Jerry Hairston’s legs. Pitching a perfect game is hard. Just ask Mike Mussina. It’s no coincidence that only 18 pitchers in the history of the game have ever accomplished the feat.
This, of course, doesn’t take away from Pettitte’s dominant performance last night. Quite the opposite, in fact. Last night’s outing underlines how good he’s been this season, particularly in the second half. Since the All-Star Break, Pettitte has been dealing. Undefeated in his last 7 starts, he’s posting a 2.56 earned run average, and, in 59.2 innings since the break, he’s struck out 62 batters, while walking only 15. Good. Lord. His cutter is working like it’s 1996, which sets up his better-than-average off-speed stuff. As a result, batters just don’t look comfortable in the box against him.
Projected as the team's fifth starter coming into the season, Pettitte has pitched better than I initially thought possible. He's solidified the Yankees’ rotation behind staff ace CC Sabathia and second-in-command A.J. Burnett, just as he did early in his career behind David Cone, David Wells and Roger Clemens, Pettitte's more celebrated--and talented--teammates. Outside of his rookie season, 1996, Pettitte has never been considered the staff ace. He’s always been more of a workhorse, an effective, mid-rotation innings-eater. Unlike his more touted teammates, Pettitte’s never going to light up a radar gun, strike out 20, or, as we witnessed last night, throw a perfect game. But he is a gamer, a fan favorite who's always ready to take the ball. And, more often than not, he's found a way to win. With last night’s victory, the 190th of his career, Pettitte moved ahead of Lefty Gomez into third place on the Yankees’ all-time win list. Only Whitey Ford (236) and Red Ruffing (231) remain ahead of him. He probably won’t catch either man, but third on the all-time list seems just about right for Pettitte, the Yankees' old reliable.
