Pettitte had back, hamstring issues in playoffs

When Joe Girardi flipped Phil Hughes and Andy Pettitte in the rotation for the ALCS, he said at the time that "a lot" of factors went into the decision.

One of them - which he didn't disclose until Monday- was that the 38-year-old lefthander was dealing with two injuries.

Girardi said that in the seventh inning of Pettitte's Division Series Game 2 start against the Twins on Oct. 7, the lefthander's back started "locking up" and "his hamstrings got really tight."

Two days later, Pettitte cut a bullpen session short because "his leg grabbed at him," Girardi said.

It was an issue with Pettitte's abductor muscle, and not the groin that cost him nine weeks of the season, but the injuries were enough to make the pitcher questionable had there been an ALDS Game 5.

So the decision was made to start Hughes, who pitched superbly against the Twins in the third and final game, in ALCS Game 2 against Texas and use Pettitte in Game 3.

"We thought it was in our best interest,'' Girardi said, "and I thought it was in talking to the trainers and the doctors, that if we could give him an extra couple of days, he might be able to get through that series."

The Yankees took particular note of the decision by Pettitte, who felt tightness in his back toward the end of the regular season, to end the bullpen session.

"The last time Andy walked off a bullpen, it became a couple [more] weeks," Girardi said of one of Pettitte's setbacks while recovering from the groin injury. "In talking to doctors, trainers, our staff, Cash [Brian Cashman], we thought we had to give him those two extra days."

The injuries made Pettitte's performance in Game 3 even more remarkable. Cliff Lee dominated the Yankees in the Rangers' 8-0 victory, but Pettitte was nearly as good. After Josh Hamilton wristed a two-run homer in the first inning, Pettitte retired 14 of the next 15 batters and wound up allowing two runs and five hits in seven innings.

When Elvis Andrus led off that game with a dribbler in front of the mound that Pettitte made the play on - he recorded the out - "I held my breath," Girardi said.

Because Pettitte came through Game 3 feeling good, he would have started a seventh game had the Yankees won Game 6, Girardi said.

As for what Pettitte will do next season, Girardi said he's received no indication one way or the other.

"Andy's a Yankee," he said. "Let's hope he decides he wants to play again."