Andy Pettitte: A Future Hall of Famer and Yankee Legend

Andy Pettitte has been in the majors since 1995 when he won 12 games for the New York Yankees. He has gone on to have two twenty win seasons, both with the Bronx Bombers, and to date has appeared in eight world series, winning four of them and working on a fifth. He recently set the record for most post season wins and increased that number with a dazzling Game 3 win on Halloween against the vaunted Philadelphia Phillies. Pettitte was reluctant to come back to New York again for a one year contract, but he has rekindled that young ace who can lead a staff to the World Series. With free agency looming after the Fall Classic, expect the Yankees to shell out the dough for Pettitte, who might go down as the greatest Yankee pitcher ever.

Pettitte was born in June of 1972 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and the southpaw southerner was a cornerstone for the late 90's Yankees dynasty, and after a short stint in Houston from 2004 through 2006 with his good pal Roger Clemens, he returned to the Yankees in 2007 and has brought his team back to the World Series for the first time since 2003 when he was the ace of the staff and won 21 games. With the big names on the 2009 New York Yankees, he doesn't garner the media attention that the likes of A-Rod and CC do, but the gentleman from the south has stepped up when the Yankees have needed a win the most. He recently broke Greg Maddux's playoff win record and, now Pettitte's record stands at 17 wins.

No doubt that he hasn't been the strikeout king of Roger Clemens and he probably won't approach 300 wins (he is currently at 229) but throughout his career he has been recognized as one of the best of the Yankees pitching rich history. Big number 46 pitching in a tight spot in the playoffs is almost as comforting as the "Enter Sandman" music that's played when Mariano Rivera comes strolling into the game. It's almost a done deal, almost every Yankee fan around will take Pettitte in Game 7 on the road or at home any day of the week against any other team's best pitcher. He inspires that type of grit, confidence, and allure.

The New York Yankees measure success by the post season and Pettitte has officially set the measuring bar for both past and future pitchers in their rich history. No Andy will never get to 300 wins, he'll probably never reach 3,000 strikeouts, but he has the hardware and the experience. Yes he admitted to using HGH two summer's ago and since it seems like it has blown over and no one even remembers he was tied to the steroid controversy. maybe other players should take the route of Andy (some have such the likes of Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi). But what will become of Andy Pettitte when he retires?

Pettitte has the credentials to be a Hall of Famer. He has solid statistics and unbelievable post season success, which always seems to correlate with induction. He is a man's man and it is hard for me to believe that he would be denied the honor of joining the immortals at Cooperstown with his teammates Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, and possible Jorge Posada. The four have stood for Yankee greatness for over fifteen years and all have amazing credentials. Pettitte and Posada are the two question marks out of these four, with Rivera and Jeter basically being locks to be inducted on the first ballot and have their numbers retired out in Monument Park at the New Yankee Stadium. However, if Pettitte takes home another ring this fall and maybe tacks on another ring in the future if he decides to keep playing look for him to be enshrined in Cooperstown, and maybe even a greater honor, have his number retired.

All signs point to these things happening for Pettitte and the future is bright for the Yankee hero.