CHICAGO (AP) -Andy Pettitte was feeling better Monday and plans to make his next scheduled start for the New York Yankees after leaving Sunday’s game against the Boston Red Sox with a stiff lower back.
Pettitte is scheduled to throw in the bullpen Wednesday and start Friday against Pittsburgh.
“I was concerned because I’ve been feeling so good, you don’t want to have anything causing you any kind of discomfort out there,” he said. “Once it happened, I wanted to make sure I didn’t aggravate it, have me out for a long time.”
Pettitte tweaked his back in the third inning, when he turned to look at Wily Mo Pena’s fly to center field. He stayed in the game and took a 4-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth.
Boston loaded the bases on singles by Jason Varitek, Pena and Coco Crisp. Pettitte struck out Julio Lugo on a 3-2 pitch but grimaced as he threw the fastball. Manager Joe Torre and trainer Gene Monahan came out to the mound, but Pettitte stayed in the game – for three more pitches.
Pettitte said the stiffness was in the same area where he injured his back in spring training, but the Yankees let out a sigh of relief on Monday.
“In spring training, I couldn’t bend over for two weeks,” Pettitte said. “And I feel real good today.”
At 24-30 and 12 1/2 games behind Boston entering Monday’s game, the Yankees can’t afford to lose Pettitte, who is 3-4 with a 2.96 ERA.
“I just told him, ‘I don’t want you to think you need to pitch Friday,”’ manager Joe Torre said. “But again, he’s a lot more comfortable than I anticipated he’d be.”
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