The Hall of Fame debate will rage with Andy Pettitte. Does he deserve to be enshrined in Cooperstown?
When Pettitte took the mound nearly every October, he sure looked like a Hall of Famer. That’s money time, and that’s what pushes him to Hall of Fame status in my scorebook.
The Hall of Fame decision doesn’t have to be made until 2016, when Pettitte is put on the ballot, provided he stays retired, but we live in an IFJ age — Instant Final Judgment. The HGH stain is a huge negative for Pettitte, but if you look at his body of work and at his postseason prowess, it should bring to mind another Yankee left-hander, Whitey Ford.
The Chairman of the Board was enshrined in Cooperstown in 1974, when Pettitte was 2 years old.
Pettitte has four more regular season wins than Ford (240 to 236) and nearly twice as many postseason wins (19 to 10) as the little lefty. Yes, the postseason is much different now than during Ford’s time when it was World Series or bust.
The game has evolved and the yardstick of success has changed as well. Pitching is tougher now. Pettitte’s career ERA is 3.88 compared to Ford’s 2.75, but everything has changed in the batter’s favor. Never forget that Pettitte spent 13 seasons pitching in the monster AL East.
Winning championships should matter and Pettitte owns five rings. From 1995 through 2010, there were only three seasons Pettitte did not pitch in the postseason.
Bernie Williams admitted he’s biased, but said he believes Pettitte deserves to be in the Hall. Why?
“Just the way that he influenced a whole generation of pitchers,” Williams told The Post yesterday at Yankee Stadium after Pettitte officially announced his retirement.
No one had a better view of Pettitte’s cutter than Williams did from center field.
“He was an anchor for a pitching rotation that was consistently successful through a great period of time, 10-plus years,” Williams said. “His numbers in the postseason, when it really counted, is a testament to a guy who is a big-time pitcher. He was not afraid to take the ball in difficult situations. He played with pain. He played with adversity. And he never made an excuse. I think he’s definitely a Hall of Famer.”
Pettitte was asked if he thought he owned Hall of Fame credentials.
“Over the last couple of years, you guys have started asking that question and I think I’ve said I’ve never considered myself a Hall of Famer, and I still just kind of feel the same,” he began in typical Pettitte fashion.
“I feel honored that people are talking about it. I never dreamed that I would be talked about as far as the Hall of Fame,” he said. “My only desire ever in this game was to go out to try to compete as best I can and I knew if I kept this team in the game that I’d have a chance to win and be successful. Over all the years it’s kind of added up to what it has, but I guess I’ve got to be close to having those credentials or guys wouldn’t be talking about it as much as they do.”
Pettitte grinded out wins, grinded out his career. There’s a place for that in the Hall as well.
“He’s a Hall of Famer in my book,” said Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who caught Pettitte, managed him and knows him better than anyone. “Just because of the amount of wins that he had, and I know the benchmark was always 300, but that benchmark was set at a time when they were on a four-man rotation and got more starts. But Andy took the ball every fifth day and competed at a very high level in a very tough division.”
General manager Brian Cashman said Pettitte has “been a Hall of Famer for us.”
“There’s no doubt about that,” Cashman said. “What he’s done here is something that is hard to do.”
Add it all up right now, and Andy Pettitte is Hall of Fame worthy.