Not The Way Andy Should Have Gone Out

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

I got nothing this morning, gang.  I'm still bummed about the way yesterday's game went down.  I know I shouldn't be.  If anything, I should have expected the Yankees to lose in the fashion they did because it's what they've done all year long.  Sure, there have been a few flashes of offensive competency here and there, but overall this has been a painfully bad offensive team incapable of doing anything - get a hit, put the ball in play, make contact - when they really needed to and they saved the worst for last yesterday.  The fairytale ending was laid out for them from about the 5th inning on and they gagged on their chance to write it time and time again.

Obviously the biggest and most important story yesterday was Mo and the spectacular pregame ceremony put on for him.  The Yankees don't do much right as an organization anymore, but that's one area where they're still the best and yesterday's ceremony was no exception.  It was all about Mo yesterday, and rightfully so, but what about Andy Pettitte?  He kinda got lost in the shuffle despite turning in an absolute gem of a start, arguably his best of the season.  Save for the HR ball, Andy was masterful in his final Yankee Stadium start, a call back to the many, many big starts he's made at home.  The quick pace was there.  The icy glare from beneath the brim of his hat was there.  The little punctuations of emotion after a big strikeout were there.  It was, to be as cliche as possible, vintage Andy.  He had every pitch working, he was locked in from the 1st inning, and he deserved to win that game.

Wins and losses may be the most meaningless pitching stat in baseball today, but yesterday was a day when a W meant something.  After countless clutch pitching performances in The Stadium, old and new, Andy had the chance to put one more in the record book.  He had the chance to do it one more time with his longtime friend and teammate, the chance to keep his team's slim postseason hopes alive, and he turned in a start above and beyond good enough to get that done.  Andy should have gone out of Yankee Stadium on a high note yesterday, with a well deserved win to go alone with his standing ovation.  Once again his offense let him down, and that's why I'm still bummed today.  Andy gave everything he had yesterday and came away with nothing to show for it.  He deserved better.