So far, so good: Pettitte fires four shutout innings

TRENTON, N.J. - Andy Pettitte wants to rejoin the Yankees so badly that he planned to fly to Texas immediately after his first rehab start here last night.

He said he will meet with Joe Girardi, pitching coach Dave Eiland and the trainers this afternoon to discuss where he'll make his next start. After firing four scoreless innings for Double-A Trenton, he made no secret that he hopes his next pitch is to a big-league hitter.

"I want to get back and I want to pitch in the big leagues as soon I can," Pettitte said. "I want to try to help our club."

General manager Brian Cashman and Girardi would prefer to have Pettitte make one more start in the minors, though it won't be clear for a few more days which of their affiliates will be alive in postseason play Tuesday, which is Pettitte's next scheduled start.

Pettitte started the second game of Trenton's best-of-five semifinal series against New Hampshire and said his groin was "no problem at all."

He hadn't pitched in game action since his July 18 groin strain, but he didn't look the least bit rusty, allowing two singles and no walks in four innings. Yankees special adviser Gene Michael watched from several rows behind home plate. Pettitte threw 37 of his 51 pitches for strikes, then went to the bullpen and threw 14 more to reach the 65-pitch limit set for him.

"I am realistic," he said. "I realize my stamina is nowhere near where it needs to be and I need to get all that underneath me. But I feel I can give us a pretty decent maybe four or five innings if I had to make a big-league start the next time."

A big part of Pettitte's motivation to get back to the majors as soon as possible is to get ready for the postseason. He has only four starts left, including Tuesday, before he makes his first Division Series start.

"It's really not that perfect of a world right now," Pettitte said. "So as soon as I can get back there and face big-league hitters, that would be ideal for me. But whatever it is, whatever they decide to do with me, however they want me to approach this, it's going to be good enough."

But the safe bet is for the Yankees to continue playing it cautiously, especially considering Pettitte suffered a setback in August after admittedly pushing himself too hard in his off-the-mound workouts. That's why he is not allowed to do any leg work between starts, only light jogging.

"Lifting and doing my shoulder exercises, I've been doing that," he said. "But I haven't been doing anything with my legs, which obviously is going to hurt me right now with my stamina."

Pettitte said he had concerns about how his groin would react if he had to field a bunt, but no such play occurred. And he said he felt stronger and more confident as the game drew on.

After he pitched a 1-2-3 fourth inning, striking out the final two hitters he faced, the pro-Yankees crowd at Waterfront Park gave him a standing ovation, which he acknowledged with a wave of his glove. Said Pettitte, "You feel like a zero when you're not contributing and you're on the DL."

Notes & quotes: The Yankees claimed LHP Steve Garrison off waivers from the Padres. He will report to Double-A Trenton. The Yankees designated RHP Wilkin De La Rosa for assignment.