It seems like we've all just accepted Andy Pettitte pitching in another playoff game for the New York Yankees, his 39th. He's 40. He missed an entire season because he retired prematurely, and before that, he had an injury-marred season when he was 38. He shouldn't be here. He was done. We had moved on.
Why aren’t we talking more about Andy Pettitte being a freak?
And yet ...
Pettitte is pitching well, too -- six up, six down for the Orioles through two innings. Why isn't this more surprising? Would we be this glib if Jorge Posada were back in the lineup next year? And it's the second straight season with the Yankees getting value from a previously retired pitcher -- is someone scouting Mike Mussina right now as he coaches his son's little league team?
Also of note, though, is that Wei-Yin Chen is doing a pretty good Andy Pettitte impression on the other side. But I can accept a franchise hitting on a lesser-known international free agent more than one pulling out a 40-year-old icon and dusting off the mothballs.
It’s 2012, and Andy Pettitte is starting a playoff game for the Yankees. Seems like that should be a bigger deal.
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