Andy Pettitte Returns To The Yankees WIth A Scoreless Inning

Tampa, Fla. — Andy Pettitte appeared in his first game since the 2010 American League Championship Series today. The legendary pitcher came out of the dugout to a standing ovation and then threw a scoreless inning to boot.

The 39-year-old left-hander turned in a solid 13-pitch outing in the Yankees’ Grapefruit League finale. Pettitte gave up a single and faced three hitters.

Pettitte told reporters after the game,

“It was good — I felt good. It was good to be able to get out there and get the inning in, especially in a big league game. It’s just another good step. Definitely, it felt a little weird, there’s no doubt about it, but once I got out there, it was just like I never left,” Pettitte said. “On the day you pitch, you know something is different about your body. That’s how I felt today. It was kind of that normal feeling that I’d normally feel.”

Catcher Russell Martin said Pettitte only threw three pitches outside the strike zone and seemed to be hitting all his spots.

“He looked great,” Martin said. “He was executing his pitches well. It was a short sample, but his cutter was good, he was locating his fastball well and he threw a couple of curveballs for strikes. Everything looked good today.”

Manager Joe Girardi talked about the interest form the Yankees clubhouse in watching him pitch,

“It was good to see him get on the hill. What I thought was pretty special to watch was how many of our guys stayed around to see him pitch. Usually when guys come out, they shower, ice and they go home. You had a lot of guys stay a long time today.”

Pettitte will be staying in Tampa to work towards full strength while the team heads out for their season opener. The goal is get Pettite ready for 100 pitch outings.

Pettitte said,

“For me, I feel like the stuff is there. When I talk to [pitching coach] Larry [Rothschild], he’s like, ‘Everything is right there.’ I just need to build up the stamina. There’s nothing I really feel like I need to work on.”

Pettitte is hoping to begin starting for the Yankees around May,

“I’m going to be here. That’s what I think the plan is. I’m going to be here for a while. I would love to just be here, where I’m not going all over the place.”