MLB

Pettitte still the go-to arm for Yankees

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CC Sabathia is the titular ace and Hiroki Kuroda has pitched like a No. 1. But what was reinforced yesterday afternoon was the Yankees still feel most comfortable and confident when Andy Pettitte starts.

At age 40. Off of 2 1/2 months of inactivity. With the questionable state of his lower left leg.

Same as it ever was.

It is just who Pettitte has been. Who he continues to be. The Yankees remain convinced that no matter the time of year or the date on his birth certificate or the state of his body, Pettitte will find a way to pitch well enough and long enough to give the team a great shot to win.

In a sweep of the Blue Jays in which Ichiro Suzuki had seven hits, including the game-winner in a 2-1 triumph in the nightcap, and Rafael Soriano saved two games in one day for the first time in his career, the most important Yankees development was Pettitte’s five shutout innings in a 4-2 win. It simply speaks to how vital Pettitte remains in the team’s quest to win the AL East — and more.

“I know what is expected,” Pettitte said.

It had been 84 days since Pettitte had last pitched. Eighty-four days ago it still was easy to believe the Orioles a nuisance that would soon vanish. But in the wee hours of yesterday morning, Baltimore beat Seattle in 18 innings to tie the Yankees atop the AL East again.

So Pettitte showed up for work with weight on his shoulder and the ball in his hand. Which is to say, just how he loves it.

There are just some players who find grace in the most heated atmospheres. Think how blessed the Yankees have been over the years to have three of the best in Pettitte, Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera. Of course, those guys do not always succeed in the cauldron. It is just you could be sure the moment would not be bigger than them. They will succeed or not based on their abilities that day. The implications of the game or hostility of the environment will not wilt them.

“There’s a lot of experience there,” Joe Girardi said of Pettitte. “He knows how to get it done.”

GAME ONE BOX SCORE

GAME TWO BOX SCORE

The quirk yesterday was the September meaning was touched by a March environment. Because this was a makeup game with a 1 p.m. start on a weekday, the crowd was of spring-training size and volume. Pettitte said he could hear individual conversations and “it would have been better for me if we had a packed house.”

He also was in build-up mode as if it were spring. If the Yankees were not in a tough playoff battle, Pettitte would have been given more time to prep his body and repertoire coming off the broken bone in his lower left leg. But the games are all vital, and, again, the Yankees want any version of Pettitte — even one limited to 75 pitches.

Pettitte was unhappy with the sturdiness of his legs due to his inability to run to build endurance. He lacked precise command, especially with his fastball and cutter, saying, “I was not crazy about a whole lot of stuff.” Yet when he needed to make a pitch — as per usual — Pettitte found his best in a crisis. Toronto was 1-for-10 against him with men on base.

Did it help that the Blue Jays were without their two best hitters, righty mashers Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion? Naturally. Their lineup was short on experience (except 45-year-old Omar Vizquel, who hit seventh in this diminished order) and impact.

Still, three scouts in attendance all praised it as an encouraging first step for Pettitte. He got through five innings. His fastball was mainly in the 88-90 mph range. He threw his full assortment of pitches, even if he did not love how they all obeyed. Mostly, he responded like Andy Pettitte: lefty stalwart and ace crisis manager.

“I hope to be considered one of the leaders of the staff and the team,” Pettitte said. “I feel I have been there and through this. … This is what I came back [out of retirement] for.”

It is why his 40-year-old body was rushed through rehab, pushed to the mound prematurely before he had checked all the boxes of endurance, health and stuff. There was no time for that. There were huge games late in a season and — as always — the Yankees wanted Pettitte pitching in as many as possible.

joel.sherman@nypost.com