Pettitte, Yankees Look To Continue Domination Of Twins
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Yankees starter Andy Pettitte hasn't lost to the Twins in over a decade.
Not since April 30, 2001, to be exact.
The Yankees hope their veteran left-hander can continue the streak when the teams open a three-game set in Minnesota on Monday night.
"You're talking about almost like a living legend when you're talking about Andy Pettitte in New York," said outfielder Nick Swisher, according to the team's official website. "To have him back really solidifies our starting rotation."
Pettitte's unretirement tour was temporarily put on hold after a batted ball fractured his left ankle in late June. He returned to the rotation last Wednesday, throwing five innings of scoreless ball against the Toronto Blue Jays.
The 40-year-old threw 75 pitches in the 4-2 win, a number that is expected to increase Monday.
"I'm going to give them what I can," said Pettitte. "I can't think about the pitch count. I'm going to give what I can, and when it's over, it's over."
Speaking of numbers, the Oakland A's snapped New York's seven-game winning streak on Sunday. But the Yankees, still atop the AL East by one game over Baltimore, could easily get another string going against the hapless Twins (64-89).
The Yankees have won 25 of their last 32 games against Minnesota, while Pettitte has taken nine straight decisions versus the franchise.
The Twins will counter with young starter Liam Hendriks, who finally recorded the first win -- after 18 tries -- of his major league career last week.
Yankees fans -- do you smell a sweep? Be heard in the comments below!
