Pettitte backs Ortiz off the plate

Were you wondering if that pitch Pettitte threw inside to Ortiz today was on purpose? Well, it turns out it was. And it's nothing new.

From Mark Feinsand:

Pettitte didn't deny the pitch to Ortiz was intentionally thrown inside, but he insisted it was for strategic purposes, not in retaliation.

"There's no doubt I backed him off. You can't just lay it over the plate for him to hit it," Pettitte said. "You have to move the ball in and out, hopefully make him feel uncomfortable in the batter's box. He's a great hitter, so you have to pitch him inside to get the guy out, that's for sure."

One of the biggest criticisms of Joe Torre's Yankees over the past few years was their refusal to pitch inside to Ortiz, who has torched the Bombers for a .321 average, 14 homers and 51 RBI in 209 at-bats over the past three seasons. Whether Pettitte's pitch had a purpose or not, it proved to be effective, opening the door for more of the same during the season.

This had nothing to do with Jeter being hit, or Joe Girardi being the manager, and if you don't believe me, go watch the bottom of the 6th inning of the 4/20/07 game vs. the Red Sox (if you have an MLB.com account you can). Pettitte threw the same exact pitch to Ortiz, no Yankee had been hit by a pitch, and Joe Torre was still the manager. It's just how Pettitte pitches. When he feels someone is getting too comfortable, he'll back him off.

Yes, the Yankees seem different under Girardi, and they probably are different. But this time it had nothing to do with him.