No hype, no ego, just wins
By JOHN ROMANO, Times Sports Columnist
Published October 20, 2003
NEW YORK - It was the night after the military flyover and the pregame formalities. Goosebumps had receded and heartbeats had slowed.
In other words, it was a night for Andy Pettitte to go back to work.
This is where he is known best. On the other side of famous. Leave opening night to the stars. Pettitte will ride in later to right New York's wrongs.
He did it again Sunday night.
Pettitte followed up a Yankee loss in Game 1 with a comfortable victory in Game 2. Just like he did in the division series against the Twins. Just as he did in the league championship series against Boston.
This is his role. If it were a movie, he would be the sidekick. The deputy. Maybe the hunk's best friend. He would be the guy no one would notice until the hero was in a jam and the happy ending was in danger.
Pettitte has played second fiddle for so long, you tend to overlook the beauty of his melody.
So listen to this:
His 6-1 victory against the Marlins means no other pitcher in major-league history has more postseason wins.
It was his 13th October victory. More than Greg Maddux. More than Tom Glavine. More than Roger Clemens and more than Dave Stewart. Only John Smoltz of the Braves also has won 13 times in the postseason.
Yes, the totals are distorted because, before 1969, there were no extra postseason rounds. Still, it is a remarkable number for an unremarkable man.
"It's very important," second baseman Alfonso Soriano said, "to have Andy Pettitte on the mound on a night like this."
Around here, Pettitte is the other starter. Not the one with 310 victories and a Hall of Fame dinner planned for 2008. Not the chubby one with the tattoos and tell-all book. Not the snooty one with the fat contract.
No, Pettitte is the other one. Quiet. Dependable. Utterly polite and absolutely vital to the Yankees.
"I don't think I can trust anyone more than I trust Andy," manager Joe Torre said earlier in the postseason. "Because I put so much value on someone who pitches under the stress he pitches under."
The Yankees have been in the postseason the past nine seasons and Pettitte, 31, has started their second playoff game nine consecutive times.
He has started behind Clemens. Behind Mike Mussina. Behind David Cone and David Wells and behind Orlando Hernandez, too.
Pettitte has twice been a 21-game winner, including this season, but has never been known as New York's ace. There's always someone more accomplished. Someone with more heat on his fastball or greater bite on his slider.
A few years back, owner George Steinbrenner was not sure he wanted Pettitte around. There was talk of a trade to Philadelphia. There was reluctance to offer him another contract. It was only the insistence of Torre and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre that kept Pettitte in the Bronx.
So now Cone is gone. Hernandez too. Clemens is about to retire and Wells may have worn out his welcome. And Pettitte keeps going.
He has been pitching since 1995 and has yet to finish a season without at least 12 victories. He is the only pitcher in the past 75 years to begin a career with such consistency.
By now, it's a familiar and comfortable sight. The blue cap pulled low and the glove raised high. The dark eyes peering out from in between.
If Clemens is the warrior and Wells the clown, then Pettitte is the craftsman. The guy who does his business without complaint or commotion.
To understand the composure and regard of Pettitte, consider a couple of moments from Games 1 and 2.
When Yankees third baseman Aaron Boone unwisely cut off a relay throw Saturday night, Wells gestured angrily. He later suggested the winning run might have been prevented if Boone had not made the play.
A night later, Boone committed a ninth-inning error that cost Pettitte the first World Series shutout by a Yankee in more than 40 years. When Torre came to remove Pettitte, Boone stood behind him with his head hanging. Pettitte turned and tapped Boone twice in the chest, a gesture of absolution.
It was his final act on a nearly flawless night. Pitching on three days' rest for the first time in more than two years, Pettitte gave up two infield singles through the first six innings as New York's lead grew.
"Somebody asked me if it amazes or surprises me. I guess I'd have to say no," Torre said. "I've seen him grow."
Pettitte's contract is up again at the end of this season. There is talk he could be ready to leave since Clemens, his close friend, is retiring and Torre might be finished after 2004.
So maybe he stays or maybe he goes. It's hard to predict which. But for a guy who so long has flown under the radar, it could be the ultimate irony.
Because, trust me, they'll notice when he's gone.
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John Romano: No hype, no ego, just wins
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