Can Andy Pettitte Still Be a Yankee Postseason Hero?

Major League Baseball added another wild-card team to the postseason this year, and the Yankees then added one of their own.

Andy Pettitte is back in pinstripes after a year in retirement with the expectation that life begins at 40 for savvy left-handers with borderline Hall of Fame numbers.

Pettitte turns 40 on June 15th, by which time the Yankees should know whether his return was ill-conceived or a godsend.

With Michael Pineda on the disabled list to start the season because of tendinitis in his right shoulder, and question marks attached to every other starter not named CC Sabathia, the Yankees and Pettitte are a comfortable fit.

He not only gives them experience, but he's a big-game pitcher whose major contribution is probably going to come in the postseason.

Pettitte has a lot to prove, however, before the Yankees can pencil him in as a playoff starter.

Is he capable of matching his performance in 2010 when he was 11-3 with a 3.28 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in 21 starts?

Will he stay healthy?

Remember, he missed considerable time in 2010 after suffering a groin injury. He also had a stiff back toward the end of the regular season.

Is he too old?

Is he motivated? Did Pettitte come back because he was bored and had no life after baseball, or does his passion for the game run deeper than many imagined of this unassuming Texan?

Pettitte will have an extended spring training to get his arm and legs in shape before joining the Yankees. If all goes well, these are the attributes he brings to the Bronx:

There Is No Substitute for Experience

Before Watergate and his resignation, President Richard Nixon adopted the slogan "Experience Counts" in his run for reelection to the White House.

The Yankees can identify with that. Their projected starting lineup and rotation are almost all eligible for senior discounts by baseball standards. That's why Andy Pettitte is considered a plus among the Yankees' starters.

Pettitte has 16 years under his belt and a track record the Yankees can count on for 10-12 victories in the regular season and a more prominent role in the playoffs.

He has won 240 games, 203 with the Yankees and the rest in three years with the Houston Astros. His career ERA of 3.88 is solid, as is his 1.357 WHIP. He did pitch during the steroid era and admitted to using steroids himself to recover more quickly from an injury.

By now, it should be clear that the Yankees are either reluctant to rely on young pitchers or simply mishandling their development. Pettitte basically is his own pitching coach. He knows his body; he knows his limitations.

That's why general manager Brian Cashman welcomed Pettitte out of retirement even after the Yankees acquired Hiroki Kuroda and Michael Pineda.

There is a saying that familiarity breeds contempt. In this case, however, familiarity breeds comfort.

Pettitte Is Another Version of Money Ball

One reason why the Yankees were eager to have Andy Pettitte end his retirement is the postseason.

Unlike most teams, the Yankees don't even question whether they will be in the playoffs.

And Pettitte shines when the money is on the line. 

He has appeared in 30 postseason series, among them five World Series.

His record is 19-10, with a 3.83 ERA and 1.30 WHIP.

The last time Pettitte was in the World Series was 2009 when he was 2-0 as the Yankees defeated the Philadelphia Phillies.

Because the additional wild-card team in each league will have what amounts to a play-in game before the division series, Pettitte gives the Yankees insurance if CC Sabathia is needed for a one-game playoff.

That would leave Pettitte available to open the division series.

Of course, the Yankees don't envision being a wild-card team, but having Pettitte makes the prospect of one-and-done a little more palatable.

Taking a Bite of the Big Apple

Not everyone thrives playing in New York.

Media and fan scrutiny is off the charts. For the Yankees, expectations begin and end with winning the World Series.

Hiroki Kuroda and eventually Michael Pineda are going to experience that for the first time this season.

How they respond to the pressure of winning and the Yankees' rivalry with the Boston Red Sox may go a long way in determining whether the Yankees win the American League East and whether they add their 28th World Series championship.

That's where Andy Pettitte comes in. Soft-spoken and unassuming, you would think the native Texan would be intimidated by his surroundings in New York.

But that's hardly the case. When October arrives and there's a chill in the air, that's when Pettitte really warms to the occasion.

He's a fan favorite in New York, who has avoided their wrath for signing a three-year contract with his hometown Houston Astros in 2004 and for admitting that he used steroids to help recover from an injury.

Yankee fans have come to appreciate Pettitte's dedication and performance when the lights are the brightest. He is 5-2 in World Series starts.

The Yankees are counting on Pettitte to have enough left for one more trip down memory lane.

No Stone Left Unturned

With the exception of CC Sabathia, the Yankees' starters are right-handed. That isn't a negative during the season, but having another left-handed option in the playoffs gives Yankee manager Joe Girardi more flexibility with his rotation.

The Philadelphia Phillies, for example, have Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee to go along with Roy Halladay and Vance Worley and/or Joe Blanton.

If Sabathia starts the opening game of a series, Girardi can come back with Hiroki Kuroda, Phil Hughes or Ivan Nova, then go left-handed again with Pettitte. Having two left-handers will prevent teams from loading up with lefty hitters against the Yankees.

If the Yankees made it to the World Series and faced the Phillies, Sabathia and Pettitte can help neutralize Ryan Howard and Chase Utley, perhaps the two most dangerous hitters in the Phillies' lineup.

Pettitte has held left-handed hitters to a .246 average in the new Yankee Stadium, which is more home run friendly overall than the old Yankee Stadium.

Good left-handers are hard to find in baseball, which is why Pettitte is still an asset at his age. 

A Teammate and Mentor

In the aftermath of Michael Pineda's poor performance in his last spring training start and subsequent disclosure of shoulder tendinitits, it was interesting to read how Andy Pettitte visited Pineda the morning after the horrendous night before.

Pettitte talked at length to Pineda. He confided that he had withheld information in the past that his arm was hurting.

He told Pineda that the obstacles he's facing are all part of growing up as a pitcher.

He told him not to get down on himself.

We don't think he called him grasshopper, though.

But what Pettitte's gesture shows is his value as a mentor and confidant for younger Yankee pitchers. Let's face it, the Yankees have not done a super job of developing pitchers in recent years.

Whether it is Brian Cashman or Joe Torre, then Joe Girardi, management has a basic distrust for young pitchers. Larry Rothschild may be an accomplished pitching coach, but he's part of the management team.

Pitchers such as Pineda, Ivan Nova and Phil Hughes might be more comfortable opening up to Pettitte, who knows what it's like to pitch for the Yankees and try to fulfill expectations.

And as much as his counsel will help during the season, Pettitte can lead by example in the playoffs. He can demonstrate that while the games are more important, a pitcher should stick to his routine and approach each start as if it were still May.

He can tell them how he handles the anxiety and all the extra media attention.

He can confide how he first reacted to the pressure-packed playoffs where nothing less than winning will do for the Yankees.

He might share a few tricks of the trade that he has picked up over the years.

Then, it might become crystal clear why Cashman wanted Pettitte back on the roster.

CC Sabathia Could Use a Sidekick Like Andy Pettitte

CC Sabathia has earned every dollar the Yankees have paid him so far.

In three seasons, he has 59 games—an average just below 20 a season. His ERA has ranged from 3.00 to 3.37.

He has been a workhorse, pitching 230 innings or more all three seasons.

And he has not been affected by some of the chaos behind him in the rotation (see A.J. Burnett).

The postseason, however, has been a somewhat different story.

Sabathia is 2-1 in 10 starts for the Yankees. His ERA was 6.23 in two starts and one relief appearance against the Tigers last postseason.

Is it because Sabathia is tired by October?

Is the pressure of carrying the staff in a short series forcing him to try too hard?

Pettitte eases the burden on Sabathia. His postseason experience and success means the Yankees aren't necessarily dead in the water when Sabathia has a bad performance.

More importantly, Sabathia knows that too. Pettitte has his back, which means it isn't CC or See ya for the Yankees.