The best laid schemes of mice and men oft go awry.
For Andy Pettitte, this wasn’t what he had in mind. The New York Yankees’ left handed came out of retiement after more than a season away to rejoin his team and make a run at another championship. Now, with his club having been bounced from the playoffs, Pettitte must gain consider his future and whether or not he wants to return to the Yankees in 2013.
Pettitte posted a 5-4 record over 12 starts in 2012. Image: Brad Penner-US PRESSWIRE
According the the New York Daily News, Pettitte plans to consider the idea with his family and make a decision “within a month or two.”
"“I came back because I felt like I had some competition left in me and I wanted to help this organization win another championship. There’s no doubt I still have the desire to compete. For me, it’s the family situation. That’s the biggest thing. I’ll just try to figure that out. It’s a long season. What better job to have than play baseball? But at certain times, it gets tough whenever the family can’t be together.”"
Pettitte re-joined the Yankees in May, but saw his comeback cut short by a comebacker that resulted in a broken ankle in June. He returned the the mound in time to make just a couple of starts prior to the playoffs.
In many ways, 2012 was a huge success for the left hander. He posted a 2.87 ERA in his 12 starts, which was the lowest of his career. He also struck out 8.2 batters per nine innings, which was a a hitter and a half more than his career average and his highest rate since 2004. He was 0-1 in two post-season starts in 2012, allowing 14 hits and five earned runs over 14.2 innings.
The Yankees face an off-season of uncertainty and Pettitte’s future is just one of many questions. The starting rotation lack considerable depth as it stands today and without Pettitte, the Yankees will have even more work to do to get back to where they’d like to be.