Andy Pettitte
Andrew "Andy" Eugene Pettitte ( /ˈpɛtɪt/; born June 15, 1972) is an American baseball starting pitcher who has played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily for the New York Yankees. He has won five World Series championships with the Yankees and is a three-time All-Star. He ranks as MLB's all-time postseason wins leader with 19.
Pettitte was drafted by the Yankees organization in 1990, and he signed with them a year later. After debuting in the major leagues in 1995, Pettitte finished third in voting for the American League (AL) Rookie of the Year Award. In 1996, he led the AL with 21 wins and was runner-up for the AL Cy Young Award, and two years later, he was named the Yankees' Opening Day starter. Pettitte established himself as one of the "Core Four" players who contributed to the Yankees' late-1990s dynasty that produced four championships. Pettitte won the 2001 AL Championship Series Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award in helping his team win the pennant. After spending nine seasons with the Yankees—a stint in which he won at least 12 games each season—Pettitte signed with the Houston Astros in 2004. He rejoined the Yankees in 2007 and later that season admitted to using human growth hormone earlier in his career. After four more seasons and an additional World Series title, he retired after the 2010 season. Pettitte returned to baseball in 2012.
Pettitte's pitching repertoire includes a four-seam and cut fastball and several off-speed pitches such as a slider, curveball, and changeup. As a left-handed pitcher, he has an exceptional pickoff move to first base, which has allowed him to record 99 career pickoffs. Among Yankees pitchers, Pettitte ranks second in strikeouts (1,888) and games started (407), and third in wins (208). Through 2012, he was first among active major league players in wins (245), and strikeouts (2,316), and eighth in win-loss percentage (.635). He won the most games of any pitcher in the 2000s.
Read more about Andy Pettitte: Early Life, Pitching Style, Personal Life
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