The last time Andy Pettitte wore the Yankees road grays on the mound in Arizona, he had one of the worst nights of his professional life.
Pettitte gave up six runs and seven hits in just two innings of work as the Diamondbacks won Game Six of the 2001 World Series and set the stage for a memorable Game Seven. It later came out that Pettitte was tipping his pitches, making life very easy for the hitters and very difficult for himself.
He'd been back to Arizona during his Houston period, but Tuesday was Pettitte's first chance to face the Diamondbacks as a Yankee since that fateful night. He certainly isn't tipping his pitches anymore.
The veteran lefty gave up two runs and struck out seven over seven innings on Tuesday night to help the Yankees avoid a second straight loss and help himself take another step toward a return to the All-Star Game. He hasn't been a member of an All-Star team since 2001 but it is feeling more and more likely that Joe Girardi will take Pettitte with him to Anaheim next month. He's 9-2 with a 2.48 ERA and if the numbers weren't good enough then the narrative certainly winds up being enough.
Pettitte looked done after the 2008 season when he faded terribly across the second half. The Yankees were only willing to take him back with a sharp paycut and he pitched better in 2009, though he was still well off the standard he'd set during his salad days. Retirement rumblings consumed the offseason until Pettitte decided to mount up for one more ride and, suddenly, he's on pace for his best season since 2005 and one of his three or four best seasons ever.
Maybe it wouldn't be enough if his manager weren't the guy doing the picking, but it's not bad for a guy who turned 38 last week and isn't a bad narrative to read during his inning of work during the All-Star Game. The narrative for the Yankees is even better. Pettitte's gone at least six innings in all but two starts, a boon to a bullpen that's had to deal with long stretches of ineptitude from Javier Vazquez and A.J. Burnett already this season.
Lots of people go to the Arizona desert to retire. For Pettitte, it's just another stop on a comeback tour that makes retirement seem like an idea best discussed a few years down the line.
Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com. You can follow him on Twitter.
