From
Brian Costa:
As he watched the Yankees pull away from the Twins in Game 1 of the division series Wednesday, A.J. Burnett couldn’t help but look ahead to Friday night. He wondered what it would be like when he makes his first career postseason start. Turns out he was sitting next to the right guy to ask.
Andy Pettitte, who was seated alongside Burnett in the Yankees dugout, gave him some words of advice -- words Burnett will no doubt keep in mind when he takes the mound at Yankee Stadium.
“It was more about pitching in a postseason environment than it was about [Game 1],” Burnett said of his in-game chat with Pettitte. “It’s another start. It means a lot, and it’s the postseason, and it’s my first one and all that. But I have to go at it as another start and not overdo it. That’s basically what he kept telling me -- it’s going to be great, it’s going to be loud, it’s going to be emotional.”
But, Pettitte added, Burnett can’t treat it any differently.
The right-hander was also thinking back to the last time he was in the Bronx for a postseason game, sitting in the visitors dugout with an injury during game six of the 2003 world series.
“I was actually talking about it [Thursday] and how loud that place was and comparing it to [Game 1],” Burnett said. “It was pretty loud. It was the same. ... I got to witness Josh get to do a great thing. But now’s my chance and it’s our chance to do that here. I’m glad I’m a part of it without having my arm in a sling.”
Having Pettitte on this roster has probably helped guys like CC and A.J. more than we know. Of course the best thing he did for this team was solidifying the staff and picking up 14 wins. But hopefully nobody is overlooking the importance of having a veteran leader on the staff like Pettitte who has been through all the ups and downs in this town.
