Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Andy Pettitte to make Yankee Stadium start on Sunday

Get ready to see Andy Pettitte on the mound with the New York Yankees on Sunday, according to general manager Brian Cashman.  Pettitte will make a Mother's Day start after Cashman decided that he'd seen enough of the left-handed pitcher in the minors and any more games  down there would not be beneficial.

"Everybody's in agreement he's not going to benefit from any more time below," stated Cashman, according to the YES Network.

It will be Pettitte's first appearance in the majors since Game 3 of the 2010 ALCS when he lost to the Texas Rangers.

The big hope for Cashman and the Yankees is that Pettitte still has some of his old magic and can contribute to a struggling starting rotation.



Pettitte retired after the 2010 season to spend more time with his family before unretiring in March during spring training where he was an assistant pitching coach.

"It's inevitable, I believe, to get me up there and into the mix," Pettitte said of his return.  "You try to get locked in and I'm trying as hard as I can to get focused, but it's difficult when you're signing baseballs."

While this Sunday will be a day to celebrate mothers, there might be one mom who puts a damper on the comeback— Mother Nature.

The forecast is for rain Tuesday and Wednesday and if any game gets postponed, Pettitte's big day might have to be pushed back to accommodate the five-day rotation.

Cashman didn't say who Pettitte would replace in the rotation— David Phelps is the likely bumpee— since Phil Hughes looked good after a solid 6 2/3 innings against the Kansas City Royals last Sunday.

Meanwhile, the 39-year old Pettitte wasn't exactly mowing them down for Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre.  He was lit up for four runs in five innings in a 7-5 loss to Pawtucket in his last start on Sunday.

"If there's a gap between the old Andy and what we're going to get, I don't know yet," said Cashman.

At least fans in Yankee Stadium to see the old Pettitte glare on the mound once again.

"I think the fans are excited.  I know Andy's really excited," Cashman said.  "I'll be excited if he plugs in and helps us."



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