New York Yankees' Andy Pettitte to announce retirement - ESPN New York

New York Yankees' Andy Pettitte to announce retirement

You probably know he was a good pitcher, but he was probably a lot better than you think. He's always been underappreciated. Since 1997 there have been four separate seasons in which he has finished in the top six in the Cy Young balloting, but in NOT ONE of those seasons did he get selected for the all-star team.

His ERA+, adjusted for the era and parks in which he pitched, is as good as Bert Blyleven's.

He's the all-time leader in post-season wins.

In 2009, at age 37, he pulled off one of the most impressive stunts in history. He pitched the game that clinched the division pennant. He pitched the game that won the division series. He pitched the game that won the league championship series. He pitched the game that won the World Series. The baseball superfecta!

He pitched in the majors for 16 years and never had a losing record in any of those seasons. He's the only guy in pro baseball history who pitched that long without a losing season. Two other guys had streaks longer than 16 years, but had losing seasons before or after the streaks. Grover Cleveland Alexander started his career with 19 seasons of .500 or better, but blew it by hanging on one year too many. Greg Maddux put together 17 in a row at one point, but had various losing seasons both at the beginning and at the end of his career.