Major League Baseball

PETTITTE SHINES IN HARD-LUCK LOSS

Published Oct. 19, 2010 10:10 p.m. ET

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Andy Pettitte pitched magnificently last night, but the veteran succumbed to hard luck, suffering his first postseason loss as a Yankee in seven years.

The reliable lefty - who may have pitched the final game of his career - logged a stellar seven innings in Game 3 of the AL Championship Series at Yankee Stadium, surrendering just two runs and allowing only five hits. He walked nobody. He struck out five.

But Pettitte still took the loss, in the Yankees' 8-0 defeat - thanks to Josh Hamilton and Cliff Lee.

Hamilton smacked a two-run homer off Pettitte in the first inning, and Lee outdueled him on the mound to put the Yankees in a 2-1 series hole.

It was Pettitte's first postseason loss since Game 1 of the 2005 NLCS, when he was with the Astros. And it was his first playoff loss for the Yankees since Game 6 of the 2003 World Series, when he was beaten by the Marlins' Josh Beckett, 2-0, in the clincher.

Pettitte, the only Yankee who delivered a solid performance last night, is slated to face Lee again in Game 7 - though there's no guarantee the series will get that far. So it's possible Pettitte's 16-season career ended last night because there's no assurance he's returning in 2011.

Pettitte also was excellent in last week's AL Division Series start, allowing the Twins only two runs on five hits in seven innings that night as well. He came away with a victory, beating Carl Pavano.

This time, Pettitte put the Yankees in their early hole. He gave up Michael Young's one-out single in the first inning. That brought up Hamilton, the likely AL MVP, who had homered in the first inning in Game 1 off CC Sabathia. Pettitte fell behind him, 2-1, and Hamilton launched the next pitch over the right-field wall for a 2-0 Texas lead.

Pettitte then retired 19 of the next 21 to face him, the only blemishes coming on a pair of single by Young. He stranded Young at first each time. In fact, after Hamilton's homer, nobody from the Rangers reached second base against Pettitte.

With two outs and none on in the seventh, Pettitte gave up his final hit when former Met Jeff Francoeur reached on an infield single to third. But Pettitte retired Bengie Molina on an inning-ending groundout, finishing his night at 110 pitches.

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