Yanks Beat Mariners 8-2

ByABC News
October 13, 2000, 5:38 PM

S E A T T L E, Oct. 14 -- All the signs pointed toward another meltdown for Andy Pettitte.

Hed dodged the barrel of a broken bat, ducked a hard shot upthe middle and given up three straight hitsand still wasnt evenclose to getting out of the first inning Friday night.

Pettitte was in trouble again, the same way he was in hisprevious starta disastrous outing in Oakland that threatened toend the New York Yankees bid for a third straight World Seriestitle.

Then, somehow, he suddenly turned back into the October acemanager Joe Torre could always count on.

After I gave up the run in the first, the guys came right backand battled, Pettitte said. It was nice to be able to hold alead. It was big, Ive been in trouble so much lately.

Pulling his cap down low, his dark eyes focused, Pettittepersevered. He earned his fifth straight victory in postseasonplay, pitching the Yankees past Seattle 8-2 for a 2-1 lead in thebest-of-7 AL championship series.

Turns Pitching Game Around

Im very happy, its never easy for me, he said.

Pettitte eventually was pulled after 6 2-3 innings, trotting tothe dugout where teammates and coaches waited to bump fists withhim.

I became a big fan of Andy Pettitte in 1996 because he didsomething in postseason play and in very pivotal games in thepennant stretch that I never had a chance to do, Torre saidbefore Game 3. And I guess I put a lot of weight and a lot ofstock in that type of performance, and I would never lose sight ofthat.

After the win, Torre echoed those remarks.

That effort reminded me of 1996, he said. He got himself,but every time he put himself in a jam, he made quality pitches toget out of it.

It was that kind of confidence that let Torre, along withgeneral manager Brian Cashman, talk Yankees owner GeorgeSteinbrenner out of trading Pettitte to the Philadelphia Philliesin July 1999.