Andy Pettitte doesn't know how he'll pitch Monday for the Yankees in Game 3 of the ALCS. The winningest pitcher in postseason history is still looking for that special something to "click in."
Andy Pettitte is one of baseball's most experienced postseason pitchers, but a lack of time on the mound over the last few months is a concern for the Yankees' starter in Game 3 Monday against Texas.• Phillies even NLCS with 6-1 win over Giants
NEW YORK -- Andy Pettitte would ace any test about how to pitch in the postseason.
He knows how to study an opposing lineup, formulating a game plan in his head, and turning it into reality on the field. Pitching at Yankee Stadium in October has never been a problem because he's done it forever. He can slow the adrenaline rush and control his heartbeat.
Pettitte isn't going to trip on his way to the mound. He won't bail the first time he has to make a 3-2 pitch with two out and the bases loaded.
He knows how to play the chameleon, the overlooked veteran facing the latest hot-shot with unbeatable stuff and pinpoint control. Ask him and he'll say that's the role he's played his whole career.
Name a playoff situation and the tall Texas left-hander has not only pitched in it, but succeeded. He's won 19 postseason games, 18 with the Yankees and one with Houston, the most in postseason history.
There's just one thing Andy Pettitte doesn't know. He doesn't know if he can be Andy Pettitte Monday night when the Yankees face Cliff Lee and Texas in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series with the series tied, 1-1.
Pettitte felt the same before facing the Twins in Game 2 of the ALDS on Oct. 7. It turned out fine as Pettitte allowed two runs in seven innings and the Yankees won the middle game of a three-game sweep.
"I felt as unprepared for that start as I have in any of my postseason starts," said Pettitte. The anxiety still lingered in his voice Sunday afternoon in the Bronx before a workout.
He kept saying things like, "Can Andy go out and there, get locked in, get a good feel for his pitches and throw the kind of game I would like to throw? That's the meat and potatoes of it."
The cause for Pettitte's concern is a two-month gap in his season. He strained his left groin muscle against Tampa Bay on July 18. He didn't rejoin the Yankees until late September, making three starts to prepare for the postseason.
He did OK against the star-struck Twins, who seem to roll over for the Yankees every postseason. The Rangers are a different ball club. In Friday's ALCS opener, they wasted a 5-1 lead as the Yankees scored five in the eighth for a 6-5 victory. The next day the Rangers rebounded, 7-2.
Monday they have Lee, their ace, on the mound. Lee is 6-0 in seven postseason starts since last season. Two wins came against the Yankees in last year's World Series when he pitched for Philadelphia.
The groundswell around Lee has been so strong that Yankees manager Joe Girardi went out of his way to remind reporters after Saturday's loss that there was another left-hander pitching in Game 3.
"He's won a lot of playoff clinchers for us," said Girardi.
Last season, Pettitte won clinching games in the division series, the ALCS and the World Series. Those are hard things to overlook, but Pettitte understands the lure of Lee.
"I feel like there's not a whole lot of attention I get anyway," he said. "It's been like that kind of my whole career. ... That's totally fine with me.
"I'll be pitching for the New York Yankees, and that's fine with me."
From one lefty to another, however, Pettitte has enjoyed watching Lee pitch.
"I think what is separating him from any other pitcher right now is his cutter and how late it breaks," said Pettitte. "People say he doesn't have dominating stuff, but that cutter has to be pretty dominating. It has to be cutting extremely late for guys to have such a tough time handling it."
Pettitte, 38, will make his 42nd postseason start. Only four other pitchers have made more. He'll do his homework, he'll have a plan, but can he make it work?
"I'm just hoping with the intensity of the playoffs for that good old feeling to click in again," he said.