Andy Pettitte Making First Start Tonight

New York Yankees starting pitcher Andy Pettitte will make his first start of the season tonight.  It won’t be for the Yankees but that’s Pettitte’s ultimate goal, as the 39-year-old hopes to join the Bronx Bombers by May.  Instead, Pettitte will suit up for New York’s Single-A affiliate this evening.

Tonight will mark Pettitte’s first professional start since he last pitched in the majors with the Yankees back in 2010.  After retiring from the game for a year, Pettitte got the itch to pitch once again.  The left-hander inked a $2.5 million minor league contract with the Yankees on March 16.

It’s unclear how many innings Pettitte will pitch tonight, but he’s going to require at least few starts in the minors before he joins the Yankees.  Pettitte only logged one inning of work this spring, and New York isn’t looking to rush the veteran.

Whenever Pettitte and fellow starter Michael Pineda are ready to join the Yankees, New York will have several decisions to make.  The Yankees will be faced with seven starters for five spots, with all seven pitchers being viable options.  Beyond Pineda and Pettitte, New York began the season with a rotation including C.C. Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, Phil Hughes, Ivan Nova and Freddy Garcia.

For more on the Yankees, be sure to check out Yanks Go Yard.

You can follow Call to the Pen on Twitter at @FSCalltothePen or like us here on Facebook.