A Million For A Win
| 9
|
by Lou Gehrig (Harold Friend)
Andy Pettitte has returned. After leaving for Houston, Roger, and a three year contract in excess of $31.5 million in 2004, Andy has finally made up his mind. After wavering for two months about whether or not he was "burned out," Andy decided that $16 million a season cures even the most burned out athletes. Much to his chagrin, getting the $16 million and a player's option for another $16 million in 2008 means leaving Houston, but maybe not leaving Roger, who is a free agent. After all, the forty four year old Clemens, who will be forty five for the 2007 World Series, would fit in beautifully with forty three year old Randy Johnson and thirty eight year old Mike Mussina.
Houston offered Andy $12 million with no option. Agent Randy Hendricks lamented the fact that "I had offered the Astros $14 million and an option, but they wouldn't take it. Both teams know that if Andy gets hurt, he won't take the option. The Astros flat turned me down." But the Yankees didn't and even added $2 million to sweeten the pot.
Who among us would not be happy with the $2 million sweetener? After all, following his 1961 performance, Whitey Ford received a $13,000 raise to reach a salary of $50,000. Ford won 25 games in the regular season, two in the World Series, set a World Series record for the most consecutive scoreless innings, and topped it off by winning the Cy Young Award. Whitey was overjoyed at such a huge salary increase. In today's dollars, Ford's $50,000 salary would equal about $330, 000 or 1/48 of Pettitte's $16 million.
A comparison between Andy's 2006 season and Whitey's 1961 graphically illustrates how the game has changed with respect to the game on the field and the business of the game.
Ford won 25 and lost 4. Andy won 14 and lost 13. Ford had a 3.21 ERA. Andy had a 4.20 ERA.
In 283 innings, Ford allowed 242 hits. In 214 1/3 innings, Andy allowed 238 hits.
Ford struck out 209 and walked 92. Andy struck out 178 and walked 70.
Andy Pettitte won 14 games last season when he was paid $16.5 million. That was more than $1 million a victory. Is he worth the money? In the context of today's game, if a team is willing to pay it, the player is worth it. It is wrong, it is illogical, it is dangerous, but it is reality.
Pettitte has had some excellent seasons, including two (1996 and 2003) in which he won 21 games. In the playoffs, Andy has won 11 while losing only 5 with a 4.20 ERA, but in the World Series he is only 3-4, but with a 3.82 ERA. Statistics, especially career statistics, often can mislead, and that is the case with Pettitte.
In 1996, the Braves bombed him on their way to a 12-1 Game 1 victory but in pivotal Game 5, Pettitte, with the help of an unearned run and a game-saving Paul O'Neill ninth inning, two out catch, shut out the Braves and John Smoltz, 1-0. The Yankees went on to beat the Braves in six games.
Pettitte gave up four quick runs to the Indians in Game 5 of the first round of the playoffs in 1997, a hole too deep for the Yankees to overcome. When, with two outs and the bases empty in the Yankees' ninth with the Indians ahead by a single run, Paul O'Neill doubled, the Yankees had a chance, but Bernie Williams hit Jose Mesa's first delivery to left fielder Brian Giles to end the Yankees' season.
The Yankees had one of the greatest of all great seasons in 1998, winning 114 regular season games. In the World Series against the Padres, Pettitte started Game 4 and exchanged zeros with Kevin Brown until the Yankees broke through with a run in the top of the sixth. Andy pitched 7 1/3 innings of shut out ball as the Yankees won the game, 3-0, to sweep the Padres.
The Braves were back in 1999. Pettitte started Game 3 against Tom Glavine and he was ineffective, allowing 5 runs on 10 hits in only 3 2/3 innings, but the Yankees, thanks to home runs by Chad Curtis, Tino Martinez, Chuck Knoblauch, and Curtis again, came back to win in ten innings, 6-5. Roger won Game 4 as the Yankees swept the World Series for the second consecutive season.
In 2000, Andy opened the Series at home against his friends from Flushing, facing future Yankees' broadcaster, Al Leiter. Both lefties pitched well until Leiter gave up two runs in the sixth inning, but Pettitte had gotten lucky in the top of the inning when the game was still scoreless.
Timo Perez, a left handed hitter, singled. Pettitte got the dangerous Edgardo Alfonzo on a pop up, bringing up Mike Piazza. The greatest hitting catcher in history flied out to center, bringing up Todd Zeile. The future Yankee blasted a shot to deep left field, over the head of David Justice. The ball hit about 1 1/2 feet BELOW the top of the padded wall and got stuck in the space between the sections of padding. A fan reached over and almost got the ball, but he thought better of it. Justice took the ball, relayed to Derek Jeter who fired home to nip Perez, who had stopped running when he saw the ball hit the fence. If Perez had run full speed, the Mets would have scored one run and had Zeile on second with two outs.
After the Yankees scored their pair of runs in the sixth, New York's other team immediately got to Pettitte for three runs in the seventh, knocking out the stylish lefty. The Yankees, thanks to a gutty two strike at bat in the ninth by Paul O'Neill, singles by Luis Polonia and Jose Vizcaino and a Chuck Knoblauch sacrifice fly, tied the game. It lasted twelve innings and became the longest World Series game in terms of time. The Yankees won, 4-3 and beat the Mets in five games in a Series that was a LOT closer than the statistics can ever reveal.
The Yankees have not won a World Series since. They have lost to Arizona in the most excruciating loss in Yankees' history and to Florida, in a Series the Yankees didn't care about enough after beating Boston on Aaron Boone's home run.
In 2001 against Arizona, Pettitte was horrible. Facing Randy Johnson when he was still Randy Johnson in Game 4, Pettitte allowed 4 runs in 7 innings while Johnson struck out 11 in a 4-0 Arizona victory. The two lefties who are now teammates for 2007 faced off again in Game 6. Pettitte did even worse, allowing 6 runs, 7 hits, and 2 walks in 2 innings of pitching in the game that could have clinched a Series win the Yankees would never clinch.
In 2003, Pettitte made amends against Florida, but the Yankees' offense was missing. Pettitte started Game 2, came within a single out of pitching a complete game, and easily won, 6-1. He started Game 6 with the Yankees needing a win to stave off a Series defeat. Andy gave a fine performance, allowing only 1 earned run in 7 innings, but the Yankees failed to score and lost the Series.
There are no guarantees in baseball, just as there are no guarantees in life, which is a great attraction of the game. Pettitte is back in familiar territory although many who now inhabit the territory were not present the last time Pettitte was. Jorge Posada, Jason Giambi, Derek Jeter, Hideki Matsui, and maybe Bernie Williams remain among non-pitchers from 2003. Mariano Rivera and Mike Mussina were the only pitchers with the 2003 club.
Pettitte should help the Yankees, but when it comes to the playoffs and World Series, in 2002 Andy was part of a starting staff that included Roger, David Wells, Orlando Hernandez, Ted Lilly, and Mussina, and in 2003 there were Roger, Wells, Mussina, and Jeff Weaver. It wasn't enough, which forces one to ask, will Chien Ming Wang, Pettitte, Mussina, and question marks Randy Johnson, Carl Pavano, and Kei Igawa be enough to help the Yankees achieve the only goal that makes for a successful season? That is for you to answer and for them to determine.
References:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bb/4390343.html
http://www.dollartimes.com/calculators/inflation.htm
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/story/478604p-402671c.html
Effrat, Louis. "Yankees Sign Berra for 17th Year, Give Ford Club's Peak Pitching Salary; $13,000 Increase to $50,000 Rewards Ford." New York Times. 17 Jan 1962, p. 53.
Source
