A hungry ballplayer is the best ballplayer. That mindset is the key to greatness.
Even though Andy Pettitte will be making the 531st start of his career today in the first game of a doubleheader against the Blue Jays, he has the same hunger as if it were the first start of his illustrious career back in 1995.
How long ago was that? A gallon of gas was $1.15.
Cut through everything and that hunger, that mindset, is the essence of Pettitte’s success. The same goes for Derek Jeter. Every game is special. Every game is an event.
This hit me last week when I spoke to Willie Mays about Jeter. The Say Hey Kid was talking about how much he enjoyed each and every game, each and every inning. Even though he is 81 years old, he sounded like a kid going to the ballpark for the first time.
We expect much from our professional athletes, but in the end, it’s so important that they enjoy the game and the opportunity to compete. That is what Pettitte brings to the mound, including 42 of those 531 starts that came in the postseason. It came through in his words last night as the wind and rain tore through Yankee Stadium, and his comeback from a fractured left ankle was pushed back yet one more day. He last pitched June 27, 84 days ago.
Even with the terrible weather, Pettitte did not give in one inch.
“I knew the weather report didn’t look good,’’ Pettitte said, “but in your mind, you just have to look at it like you are going to play, until they tell you, you are not. It is what it is. I’ve been rained out plenty.’’
As for today, he said, “You wake up, get a good night’s sleep and have breakfast and get ready to pitch. It will be good. I don’t have to wait all day long, so I’m excited about that, just to be able to wake up and know that I will get into my routine around 10:30 in the morning and start preparing for that start.
“Even if you got stuff going on physically, mentally, you can overcome some stuff.’’
In many ways, that’s what today’s athlete does not understand, too often a start is just another start, something that happens every fifth day.
“I’m just ready to get out there and pitch, I ain’t going to lie to you, I’m tired of talking about it,’’ Pettitte added. “I just want to get out there and pitch and hopefully give this team a chance to win that ball game and move forward from there.
“I love day games. I’m an early bird.’’
No matter how Pettitte does today, the Yankees are much better off with the lefty back in the rotation. He gets it. He understands the Yankees are in for a fight these final 16 games as they battle the Orioles for first place in the AL East. The rainout could work in the Yankees’ favor. Jeter got another day to rest the bone bruise on his left ankle. Pettitte gets another day to gear up.
“You want to be in the mix, you want to be in this rotation and hopefully going out and throwing quality starts and giving this team a chance to win,’’ Pettitte said. “That’s what I came back for. To watch it the last two months has been difficult.’’
His cutter is the best it has ever been, he told me the other day, but his hunger to compete remains off the charts.
“I expect to give us good outings, if I don’t, I’m going to be disappointed,’’ Pettitte said. “That’s just all there is to it. I don’t feel pressure, I really don’t.’’
When you enjoy what you do there is no pressure. Andy Pettitte was born to pitch and today he gets another opportunity.
kevin.kernan@nypost.com