Older Pettitte believes he'll be as good as 'old' Pettitte

In his first news conference after re-signing with the Yankees March 16, Andy Pettitte said his expectation was that he would be as good as he was in 2010.

After six outings against minor-league competition, he feels the same way.

"I just really believe I'm going to be able to get back to where I was," said Pettitte, set to make his first 2012 Yankees start Sunday at the Stadium against the Mariners. "I'm going to be very disappointed if I don't."

It might be a tad much to expect that, especially right away.

Pettitte, after all, had one of his best seasons in 2010, going 11-3 with a 3.28 ERA in 21 starts. His second half of that season was shortened by a groin injury. He also suffered back spasms during the playoffs.

The biggest concern, and the 39-year-old lefthander has said as much, is how his body responds to what players call "the grind" of the regular season.

"I have not had any problems in my six starts to try and get ready for this," Pettitte said Thursday on a conference call. "So that gives me a lot of confidence to think I'm going to be OK."

When Pettitte unretired, his return was seen as a luxury because of the Yankees' surplus of arms, all throwing well at the time and competing for rotation spots. But with the season-ending injury to Michael Pineda and inconsistency from all of the starters, Pettitte's return couldn't have been timed better.

"I'm excited to come back and I'm excited about that I feel I'm in a place where I can help us," he said. "I know what they expect out of me on the field and I also know what they expect out of me in the clubhouse. I've pitched with CC [Sabathia] and Phil [Hughes] and have been able to spend time with those guys. I know how they feel about me and I'm looking forward to helping them as much as possible and take some of the stress off of them."

Pettitte also expressed sadness for a teammate he won't be playing with this season.

Mariano Rivera, who has saved 68 of Pettitte's victories -- a record for a win-save combination -- is out for the year after suffering an ACL tear in his right knee last week. He played a big role in persuading Pettitte to come back.

"Terrible," Pettitte said of Rivera's injury. "To see him go down was extremely disappointing for me. He's absolutely amazing, and when you lose someone like him, you just cannot replace that."