Andy Pettitte Is Overrated as a Clutch World Series Pitcher

Andy Pettitte has started 13 World Series games. He is 5-4 with a 4.06 ERA and a 1.403 WHIP.

Whitey Ford (10), Red Ruffing (7), Allie Reynolds (7), Bob Gibson (7), Chief Bender (6), Waite Hoyt (6) and Lefty Gomez (6) rank ahead of Pettitte in World Series wins.

Of course, we all know the "experts" have concluded that a pitcher's wins are not an accurate measure of his ability.

We New York Yankees fans can take comfort in the fact that, although the Pittsburgh Pirates won more games than the Yankees in the 1960 World Series and the Arizona Diamondbacks won more games in the 2001 Series, the Yankees were the better team in each instance.

Pettitte's World Series ERA is 4.06, which isn't close to the ERAs of the career leaders. Simply put, Pettitte's World Series ERA is mediocre at best.

He has had some magnificent, clutch performances, such as in Game 5 of the 1996 World Series and Game 4 of the 1998 World Series, but he has had some terrible starts, such as in Game 1 of that same series as well as Game 3 in the 1999 World Series and Game 6 against Arizona in 2001.

This is not "cherry-picking." It makes the point that Pettitte has generally done well in the World Series, but his performances do not rank him even close to the greatest World Series pitchers.

In his start against the Atlanta Braves in the third game of the 1999 World Series, Pettitte left trailing 5-1. Chuck Knoblauch, Tino Martinez and Derek Jeter's pal Chad Curtis bailed him out.

In the 2000 Series opener against the New York Mets, Pettitte was staked to a 2-0 lead, but he needed Paul O'Neill's ninth inning at-bat to get him off the hook.

No mention has been made about the ALDS or the ALCS. They are recent phenomena that are roadblocks a team must overcome in order to be able to win the games that count the most.

In "pre-World Series" games (why not? We have "preseason" games in the spring), Pettitte has made 29 starts without a complete game, which brings us to a great point.

No one in her right mind would criticize Pettitte for never having completed a postseason game because the game is managed differently from the past.

No one in her right mind would equate Andy Pettitte's 19 postseason wins to Whitey Ford's 10 World Series wins.

In the ALDS and ALCS, Pettitte is 14-6 with a 3.75 ERA, which is good, but not great.

Pettitte is not among the World Series pitching leaders in career ERA, wins, won-lost percentage, WHIP, hits allowed per nine innings, fewest walks allowed per nine innings or strikeouts per nine innings.

He is ninth in appearances, eighth in innings, seventh in strikeouts and second in starts.

Pettitte is a fine pitcher. He just isn't the greatest World Series pitcher in history.