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IP:114.100.103.* |
|  Wys³any: 2019-07-26 04:10:20 Temat postu: Because Ive done this before," said a sh
NEW YORK -- Andy Pettitte had no interest in a farewell tour or some big pronouncement regarding his (second) retirement. Anything more than a conference call the day after the season would only feel embarrassing. "Because Ive done this before," said a sheepish Pettitte, who briefly stepped away from baseball two years ago. "I feel awkward doing this right now, to tell you the truth." Still, the New York Yankees pitcher was having a hard time telling people he wasnt sure if he would be back next season when he already knew this was it. And he wanted to thank fans for all their support, something he wished he had a chance to do the first time. So after discussing it with several close friends -- including Mariano Rivera over lunch in Toronto -- Pettitte chose to formally announce his decision at a Yankee Stadium news conference Friday. "Im ready to be home again," Pettitte said. "But the biggest thing is, Im just done." In a statement released Friday afternoon, hours before the Yankees began their final homestand, the 41-year-old Pettitte said he has reached the point where he knows he has left everything he has on the field. The left-hander initially retired after the 2010 season, but sat out only one year before returning to the Yankees. This time, he means it. "The time is right. Ive exhausted myself, mentally and physically, and thats exactly how I want to leave this game," he said. In a nice bit of symmetry, Pettitte is scheduled to make two more starts this season -- one at Yankee Stadium and the other in his hometown of Houston. "That is crazy. It really is. Its cool that its going to work out that way," he said. Pettitte is set to pitch against the San Francisco Giants on Sunday, when the Yankees will honour Rivera in a pregame ceremony. Baseballs career saves leader also is retiring. Pettitte said one of the things he struggled with in making an announcement was "doing anything to take away from Marianos day" because of how much Rivera has meant to him and his career. Rivera, however, encouraged Pettitte to say goodbye at Yankee Stadium. "He thinks its going to make the day even better," Pettitte said. "I feel like were connected." Rivera has saved 72 of Pettittes 255 career wins, the most for any tandem in major league history. "Its like brothers. We came up in this organization at the same time. Weve been through good times and bad times," Rivera said. "Now we go out together, too." Asked if he had any regrets, Pettitte mentioned human growth hormone. He has admitted using the banned substance years ago, saying he did it in an effort to recover faster from an injury. He said he would never want kids to think he tried to cheat. "I know my heart. Ive never tried to cheat this game. Never tried to cheat anything in my life," Pettitte said. "Thats the truth." Pettitte holds MLB records for post-season wins (19) and starts (44), but it would take quite a surge by the Yankees for him to get an opportunity to add to those marks. They began the day 3 1/2 games behind Tampa Bay and Texas for the second AL wild card, with three other teams in between. A three-time All-Star, Pettitte has helped New York to seven AL pennants and five World Series championships during 15 seasons in pinstripes. He was the MVP of the 2001 AL championship series and is the franchise leader in career strikeouts with 2,009. He joined longtime buddies Rivera, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada to make up the "Core Four" that has led the Yankees to more than a decade and a half of sustained success. "Weve had a great run here," Pettitte said. "I just feel like my time here is done." Jeter, limited by injuries to just 17 games this season, will be the only one left next year. "Ive known about this for a while, but I just havent thought about it," he said. "Youre not going to see that again, I dont think." Pettitte said he probably wouldnt have made a comeback last year if general manager Brian Cashman hadnt called to gauge his interest. The original plan was to return for one season, but a broken ankle that sidelined Pettitte for almost three months changed his mind. He knew coming into 2013 that this would be it, and nothing thats happened since has made him vacillate -- including a back injury that wasnt easy to shake. Pettitte is 10-10 with a 3.93 ERA in 28 starts. After a rough patch, he has pitched particularly well down the stretch with New York desperately chasing a playoff berth. "Vintage Andy Pettitte. Crunch time, hes always there," manager Joe Girardi said. "Its just who Andy Pettitte is. When the stakes get higher, he gets better." Asked for his greatest moment, Pettitte mentioned the first championship he won with the Yankees in 1996 -- which ended an 18-year drought for the franchise. His final start is scheduled for next weekend against Houston, the only team for which he has played besides the Yankees. Pettitte spent 2004-06 with the Astros, teaming with Roger Clemens to help the club make its only World Series appearance in 2005. In retirement, Pettitte said he will spend time with his wife and four children, travel and get very involved at church again. "Its been a long, hard year," he said. "Ive been retired and I know what its going to be like. Its awesome." William Karlsson Golden Knights Jersey . Lineup news, Fantasy tips and more in Scott Cullen’s Statistically Speaking. HEROES Blake Comeau – The Penguins winger had a hat trick in a 4-3 overtime win against Toronto. Marc-Andre Fleury Golden Knights Jersey . Vargas (8-3) allowed four singles and two walks while striking out five, allowing only two runners from a diluted Twins lineup to reach second base. Mike Moustakas and Jarrod Dyson hit RBI singles in the second inning against Kevin Correia (4-10), and that was all Vargas needed. http://www.goldenknightssale.com/authentic-deryk-engelland-golden-knights-jersey/ . Alen, 28, hit .315 with five home runs, 59 RBI and a career-high nine stolen bases for the Goldeyes last season. He is the longest serving catcher in Goldeyes history, having already spent five seasons with the organization. Ryan Reaves Jersey .Under the agreement announced Monday, the Cuban defector is guaranteed $68.5 million over six seasons.Tomas gets a $14 million signing bonus that is payable within 30 days of the deals approval by Major League Baseball, and then salaries of $2 million next year, $4 million in 2016, $6 million in 2017 and $10 million in 2018. Brandon Pirri Golden Knights Jersey . He has spent much of his adult life trying to give back to his native South Sudan, the war-torn African nation the Cavaliers forward and his family fled when he was a young boy. NEW YORK -- It looked like Ohio States winning streak to start the season was over. The third-ranked Buckeyes were down eight points to Notre Dame with less than 2 minutes to play and their offence was nowhere to be found. They still had their tough defence and somehow they were able to turn the game completely around and beat the Fighting Irish 64-61 on Saturday night in the BlackRock Gotham Classic at Madison Square Garden. "I dont really know what happened. It was a big blur," Ohio State senior guard Aaron Craft said. "We never stopped. We never gave up. Guys were running around getting tips and guys made big free throws." While a few players did come up with big defensive plays, it was mostly one guy who made the free throws for the Buckeyes (12-0). Lenzelle Smith Jr. scored seven of his nine points in the final 33 seconds -- including going 5 of 5 at the line -- to lead the rally. "Im still trying to figure out what happened," Ohio State coach Thad Matta said. "My mind was fixated on if we wanted to foul with the time situation or do we play it out defensively and all of a sudden it was closer and closer and closer and we get the lead. It happened quick, It was a great win." The Buckeyes went 9:10 without a field goal and at one point were 6 of 21 from the field as Notre Dame (8-4) opened what seemed to be a comfortable lead late. Jerian Grant hit a 3-pointer as the shot clock was expiring to give the Fighting Irish a 58-50 advantage with 1:54 to play. "I am so thoroughly disappointed," Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said. "We had such a good chance at such a great win." The Buckeyes turned up the defensive intensity and they converted consecutive steals into a 58-56 deficit with 40 seconds to go. Demetrius Jackson made two free throws for Notre Dame a second later. Smith was fouled taking a 3-pointer and he made all three free throws to bring Ohio State within 60-59 with 32 seconds left..dddddddddddd. Steve Vasturia, who was in the game because point guard Eric Atkins had fouled out, missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 31 seconds left, his first free throw attempt of the season. Smith scored down low on a nice pass by Craft to give the Buckeyes a 61-60 lead with 16 seconds to go. After a Notre Dame turnover, Smith made two free throws for a 63-60 lead with 9.8 seconds left. Grant made one free throw with 6.7 seconds left and Craft made one free throw with 3.3 seconds left. Jackson missed a potential tying 3 as the buzzer sounded. "They really turned the heat up on us and flustered us. We had a hard time doing anything right," Brey said. "We didnt have Atkins but the other guys should have handled it better." LaQuinton Ross had 16 points and 11 rebounds for Ohio State while Amir Williams had 13 points and Shannon Scott and Craft both added 10. Grant had 18 points for Notre Dame, which committed five of its 13 turnovers in the final 2 minutes, while Garrick Sherman had 14 and Pat Connaughton 13. "Im a senior and I have to find a way to not turn the ball over when we didnt have our point guard in there," Grant said. The Buckeyes shot 34.5 per cent in the second half (10 of 29, including missing all nine 3-point attempts). They went 9:10 without a field goal in the second half, and thats when Notre Dame opened a 52-44 lead with 5:33 to play. Williams dunked on the next possession to end Ohio States long drought. "They packed that zone in and I dont think we were trusting the system as much as we needed to," Craft said. "We took some bad shots and didnt attack. We were letting the missing offensively affect us defensively and let that get tied together and thats not what good teams do." Notre Dame opened the second half on a 9-2 run that tied the game at 35. The run was started by a 3-pointer by Atkins, the Fighting Irishs first in seven attempts from beyond the arc. ' ' ' |
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