Andy Pettitte To Announce Retirement

With all the celebration that MLB has done this season for Mariano Rivera, we had seemingly forgotten that this season could have also been Andy Pettitte‘s last. While it was assumed for a while, he never made an official announcement.

Until this afternoon, that is.

Sep 17, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Yankees starting pitcher Andy Pettitte (46) looks for a sign during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

There are multiple reports going around, that have indeed been confirmed by the New York Yankees, that Pettitte will retire at the end of this season.

This should come with little surprise, given he is 41 years old, but it is still just as sad.

Pettitte began his career with the Yankees in 1995, going 12-9 with a 4.17 ERA. He would follow up his rookie season with a stellar sophomore season, going 21-8 with a 3.87 ERA en route to a Yankees World Series victory. Such a season would get him to second place in the 1996 Cy Young voting, but he was beaten out by Pat Hentgen.

He would remain with the Yankees until 2003, when he left in free agency to sign on with the Houston Astros, a team that was close to his hometown. But, as they say, the baby bird always comes back to the nest. After spending three years as an Astro, Andy would return to the Bronx in 2007, and has been here ever since.

Originally, he retired following the 2010 season, but after rethinking his decision, and taking all of 2011 off, he would return in 2012 and 2013.

In his career, Pettitte boasts a record of 218-126 with a 3.86 ERA. But what most Yankee fans love about Pettitte is how he performed in the post-season. To date, Pettitte has the most wins in the post-season. Not just for the Yankees, but in all of the history of baseball.

Pettitte did have his fair share of controversy, too. He has gone on record to say that while rehabbing from an injury, he used HGH to recover quicker.

Most importantly though, Andy was a member of the Core Four along with Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, and Mariano Rivera. It’s sad to think that after this season, the Core Four will become the Outstanding One with just Jeter remaining.

Yankees fans have been really lucky to have had Pettitte pitch for them, but all good things must – unfortunately – come to an end. So here’s to a great pitcher in Yankee lore. Enjoy your retirement, Andy, you deserve it!