Yankees on the 2025 BBWAA Hall of Fame Ballot - Championship Edition
In the first two installments of this series we focused on players who had only brief stints with the Yankees and were mostly remembered for playing with other teams. Now we're ready to take a deep dive into some players who are known primarily as Yankees, mainly because they won the only World Series championships of their careers in pinstripes. Each of these guys has a viable case for the Hall of Fame, but for various reasons only one is likely to be elected this year.
For each player, their JAWS (Jaffe Average WAR Score, developed by Jay Jaffe) value is given along with the average Hall of Famer's JAWS at the player's position. JAWS is a Hall of Fame rating system based on WAR that incorporates both career and peak value. If you're interested in learning more about this, click here.
CC Sabathia - Starting Pitcher - JAWS: 50.8, HoF JAWS: 61.5
In December 2008 George Steinbrenner responded to the first playoff-less season the Yankees had since 1994 with the fire of nearly a half billion dollars' worth of suns. The crown jewel of that spending spree was a big lefty named CC Sabathia, who had just nearly won the NL Cy Young despite playing only a half-season in that league. The Yankees enticed him with the largest contract offer ever for a pitcher, and he deserved every dollar of it, so expectations were sky high in New York.
Sabathia proved right away that living up to those expectations would be no problem. He put together a representative season in 2009, logging 230 innings with nearly 200 strikeouts, a 3.37 ERA, and a major-league leading 19 wins. He saved his best for October. Serving as the anchor of a shortened three-man rotation, the Yankees won four of the five games he started, where he pitched to a sparkling 1.98 ERA. He was named the ALCS MVP and helped win a pivotal Game Four in a triumphant World Series over the Phillies. The big lefty put his team on his ample back and did exactly what he was brought in to do.
For the next three seasons Sabathia continued to be both the ace and workhorse of the Yankee pitching staff while his supporting cast changed with frequency. He averaged 225 innings pitched per season with an impressive ERA+ of 135. He also continued to thrive under pressure. In 2012 he started a decisive Game Five against the Orioles in the ALDS and pitched a complete game gem. After he allowed just four hits and one run to help his team advance, he was the only one who seemed unimpressed. "It is what I'm here for," he told USA Today, "I guess I should feel a little pressure or something like that, but I don't...I feel like I need to go out and win every time out and I think that takes the outside pressure off me."
That combination of performance and attitude made Sabathia one of the most successful big-name acquisitions in Yankee history. However, his massive workload would soon take its toll. As various injuries riddled his giant frame, 2013 was by far the worst season of his career to that point, and things got worse in 2014. During the off-season he dropped 40 pounds in an effort to get healthy again, but it did nothing to improve his results on the mound. He was limited to just eight starts and needed season-ending knee surgery.
Sabathia's struggles continued in 2015. That August he headed back to the DL with lingering soreness in his surgically repaired knee and a bloated 5.27 ERA. At 35 years old with nearly 3,000 major league innings logged on his left arm, the end of his career seemed more likely than a resurgence. Sabathia had other plans. He returned to the rotation just a couple weeks later, sporting a fancy new knee brace, and put the Yankees on his back once again. The team won three of the last four games he started while he pitched to a 2.22 ERA and helped get the Yankees back to the playoffs after a two-year drought.
That October Sabathia also made a revelation that put his struggles over the prior three years into perspective. He was checking into rehab due to alcohol abuse, which had a been a major problem in his life since 2012. He returned to the Yankees a new man in 2016, and re-invented himself as a pitcher. No longer able to be the power pitcher he was in his youth, with the help of Andy Pettitte he learned how to finesse his way through a lineup. With a cut fastball added to his repertoire, he became adept at inducing weak contact from hitters.
Sabathia 2.0 may not have been terribly exciting to watch, but he became an effective member of the rotation again. He was also back to his old October heroics. The 2017 Yankees - the most exciting Yankee team since the 2009 World Series winner - found themselves down 2-0 to Houston in the ALCS and sent him to the mound for Game Three. He responded with six shutout innings, surrendering just three hits, and nearly shifted momentum of the series for good. The Yankees would lose in seven under controversial circumstances. You may have heard about this.
In 2019 Sabathia trudged through one last season and at 38 years old his body struggled to keep up. That October the Yankees had a rematch of the 2017 ALCS against the Astros and he made the roster as an extra arm in the bullpen. With the Yankees reeling in Game Four he was brought in to get a few outs in the eighth inning. After inducing a pop-up to record his second out, it was clear that he suffered a dislocation in his left shoulder and he knew it. Ever the gamer, he didn't let on and tried to pitch through it before Yankee trainers forced him from the game. An emotional Sabathia left the field with his head down to a standing ovation from the Yankee faithful. As he noted in his post-game press conference, he literally pitched until he couldn't anymore.
As far as legacies go, Sabathia retired as the latest in a long line of great Yankee lefties. In a farewell tweet after he retired he said, "All I ever wanted was to be a great teammate and win." That much was evident with every action and word of his Yankee career. He was the rare case of a big-money free agent living up to the hype and he did it with an understated toughness that will ingratiate himself with Yankee fans for the rest of his life. If that's not a Hall of Famer, I don't know what is.
About half of the BBWAA ballots are known at this point, and CC Sabathia has been named on nearly 94% of them. He'll easily earn his rightful place among baseball's greatest pitchers and will someday be honored in Monument Park by the Yankees as well. Thankfully, the BBWAA got this one right.
Alex Rodriguez - Shortstop, JAWS: 90.9, HoF JAWS: 55.4
Much like Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds, the case for Alex Rodriguez as a Hall of Famer based strictly on his on-field performance is a layup. He was a three-time MVP who collected over 3,000 hits, scored 2,000 runs, drove in another 2,000 and smacked nearly 700 home runs. If that wasn't enough, he was also an excellent baserunner and played shortstop at a Gold Glove level. You could cut A-Rod in half and have two Hall of Famers if you'd like.
The similarities to Clemens and Bonds don't stop there, though. When it comes to the Hall of Fame, Rodriguez's fate will entirely depend on how his complicated relationship with steroid use is dealt with by the voters. The ten-year journey for Clemens and Bonds on the ballot has shown us that there is no clear path to the Hall of Fame for a transcendent baseball player if steroids are a part of his story. When or if they both gain election, it won't be without much resistance from certain pockets of the baseball community. However, their history with steroids is a fairly straightforward one. They have always vehemently denied using steroids and have been willing to take it all the way to federal court where they've been miraculously successful.
That's where the case of Alex Rodriguez diverges. There simply has not been anything similar to the tragicomedy that A-Rod's adventure with steroids became. Despite his unique path as a steroid user in baseball, which we'll get to in a moment, the results for A-Rod in his first three years on the ballot were very similar to those of Clemens and Bonds. Will that continue?
A-Rod will always be a polarizing figure.Keith Allison/Wikimedia CommonsBefore taking a guess at Rodriguez's Hall of Fame fate, let's take a stab at making the complicated simple here. It's impossible to know exactly how and when he used steroids and other performance enhancers, but what we can do is track chronologically all of the public stories that involve A-Rod and drug use. Here goes:
Much like Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds, the case for Alex Rodriguez as a Hall of Famer based strictly on his on-field performance is a layup. He was a three-time MVP who collected over 3,000 hits, scored 2,000 runs, drove in another 2,000 and smacked nearly 700 home runs. If that wasn't enough, he was also an excellent baserunner and played shortstop at a Gold Glove level. You could cut A-Rod in half and have two Hall of Famers if you'd like.
The similarities to Clemens and Bonds don't stop there, though. When it comes to the Hall of Fame, Rodriguez's fate will entirely depend on how his complicated relationship with steroid use is dealt with by the voters. The ten-year journey for Clemens and Bonds on the ballot has shown us that there is no clear path to the Hall of Fame for a transcendent baseball player if steroids are a part of his story. When or if they both gain election, it won't be without much resistance from certain pockets of the baseball community. However, their history with steroids is a fairly straightforward one. They have always vehemently denied using steroids and have been willing to take it all the way to federal court where they've been miraculously successful.
That's where the case of Alex Rodriguez diverges. There simply has not been anything similar to the tragicomedy that A-Rod's adventure with steroids became. Despite his unique path as a steroid user in baseball, which we'll get to in a moment, the results for A-Rod in his first three years on the ballot were very similar to those of Clemens and Bonds. Will that continue?
Before taking a guess at Rodriguez's Hall of Fame fate, let's take a stab at making the complicated simple here. It's impossible to know exactly how and when he used steroids and other performance enhancers, but what we can do is track chronologically all of the public stories that involve A-Rod and drug use. Here goes:
2007
Shortly after the Mitchell Report was published, Rodriguez took part in an interview with Katie Couric on 60 Minutes where he denied ever using performance-enhancing drugs. Considering that his name wasn't included on the report, this was a curious choice for A-Rod. He went on to opine that if there was truth to the allegations that those named in the report were using steroids, it would be a black eye for the sport.
This interview was completely voluntary for Rodriguez. He could have stayed quiet on the whole steroid issue in baseball. As we'll see in the coming years he probably should have.
Shortly after the Mitchell Report was published, Rodriguez took part in an interview with Katie Couric on 60 Minutes where he denied ever using performance-enhancing drugs. Considering that his name wasn't included on the report, this was a curious choice for A-Rod. He went on to opine that if there was truth to the allegations that those named in the report were using steroids, it would be a black eye for the sport.
This interview was completely voluntary for Rodriguez. He could have stayed quiet on the whole steroid issue in baseball. As we'll see in the coming years he probably should have.
2008
In his second book detailing his rich history of steroid use, Jose Canseco claimed that he had introduced Rodriguez to a known supplier of steroids. A-Rod mostly stayed mum on this one, neither confirming nor denying the allegation. His silence on the topic was a little too late.
In his second book detailing his rich history of steroid use, Jose Canseco claimed that he had introduced Rodriguez to a known supplier of steroids. A-Rod mostly stayed mum on this one, neither confirming nor denying the allegation. His silence on the topic was a little too late.
2009
Just prior to spring training a Sports Illustrated report revealed the names of some of the 104 players that tested positive for steroids as part of MLB's survey testing done in 2003. Alex Rodriguez was one of those names.
The survey testing was supposed to be anonymous and the names were revealed under shady circumstances. Furthermore, testing back then wasn't nearly as accurate as it would become. So false positives were within the realm of possibility. That was all beside the point for A-Rod though.
Soon after the names were leaked, Rodriguez tried his best to get ahead of it and took part in a damage control interview with ESPN's Peter Gammons. In it he was very specific in that he used steroids only from 2001 through 2003, the years he played for the Texas Rangers. He made the case that after signing the largest free agent contract in baseball history he felt pressure to perform, hence the need for something extra.
Of course, all this interview did was reveal that Rodriguez lied in the Couric interview, and therefore what he was saying in that moment also couldn't be trusted. Sure enough, a book published later in the year by Selena Roberts - one of the reporters who revealed the names for Sports Illustrated - accused A-Rod of steroid use going all the way back to his high school days. In his efforts to squash his own steroid story, he just kept digging himself further into the mess.
Just prior to spring training a Sports Illustrated report revealed the names of some of the 104 players that tested positive for steroids as part of MLB's survey testing done in 2003. Alex Rodriguez was one of those names.
The survey testing was supposed to be anonymous and the names were revealed under shady circumstances. Furthermore, testing back then wasn't nearly as accurate as it would become. So false positives were within the realm of possibility. That was all beside the point for A-Rod though.
Soon after the names were leaked, Rodriguez tried his best to get ahead of it and took part in a damage control interview with ESPN's Peter Gammons. In it he was very specific in that he used steroids only from 2001 through 2003, the years he played for the Texas Rangers. He made the case that after signing the largest free agent contract in baseball history he felt pressure to perform, hence the need for something extra.
Of course, all this interview did was reveal that Rodriguez lied in the Couric interview, and therefore what he was saying in that moment also couldn't be trusted. Sure enough, a book published later in the year by Selena Roberts - one of the reporters who revealed the names for Sports Illustrated - accused A-Rod of steroid use going all the way back to his high school days. In his efforts to squash his own steroid story, he just kept digging himself further into the mess.
2010
About a year after the Sports Illustrated bombshell, a New York Times story linked Rodriguez to a Canadian doctor that was under investigation for providing performance-enhancing drugs to high profile athletes in the United States. This was a minor revelation that never stirred much controversy, but did basically confirm that A-Rod was likely lying during his Gammons interview as well.
About a year after the Sports Illustrated bombshell, a New York Times story linked Rodriguez to a Canadian doctor that was under investigation for providing performance-enhancing drugs to high profile athletes in the United States. This was a minor revelation that never stirred much controversy, but did basically confirm that A-Rod was likely lying during his Gammons interview as well.
2013
In January a Miami New Times story revealed that the local Biogenesis clinic was the source for performance-enhancing drugs for multiple players that had recently tested positive and were suspended by MLB. Some other high profile players were linked to the clinic as well, the biggest name being Alex Rodriguez.
While A-Rod had not tested positive for steroids since formal MLB testing began in 2005, the report went on to detail how he frequently purchased performance-enhancing drugs from Biogenesis between 2009 and 2012. By now, we know that Rodriguez's desperate need to try and draw attention back to himself in a positive way would prevent him from keeping his mouth shut in this situation.
As expected, Rodriguez doubled down and denied the allegations. When MLB launched an investigation into the situation, he dug in his heels and refused to cooperate, pointing fingers in every direction to deflect blame along the way. At the same time he also decided to start feuding with the Yankee front office over the status of his injured hip, because one controversy wasn't enough.
To be fair, as more details about the situation were released, it wasn't just A-Rod who looked bad. Anthony Bosch (the proprietor of Biogenesis), the MLB commissioner's office, the reporters investigating the story, and the Yankee front office were all complicit in the fiasco. Bribery, obtaining information illegally, lying, making baseless accusations, you name it, they were all doing it. Everyone involved should have been embarrassed.
Ultimately, MLB handed down a whopping 211-game suspension to Rodriguez, by far the longest drug-related suspension in league history. He immediately appealed, which allowed him to play out the rest of the 2013 season when he was finally healthy enough.
When the appeal process began in the off-season, Rodriguez was incensed by what he found to be unfair treatment. Hilariously, he even went so far as to leave an arbitration hearing early to head straight to WFAN studios for an impromptu interview with Mike Francesa. Despite putting on an Academy Award-worthy performance as the victim in this situation, A-Rod didn't win anybody over.
In January a Miami New Times story revealed that the local Biogenesis clinic was the source for performance-enhancing drugs for multiple players that had recently tested positive and were suspended by MLB. Some other high profile players were linked to the clinic as well, the biggest name being Alex Rodriguez.
While A-Rod had not tested positive for steroids since formal MLB testing began in 2005, the report went on to detail how he frequently purchased performance-enhancing drugs from Biogenesis between 2009 and 2012. By now, we know that Rodriguez's desperate need to try and draw attention back to himself in a positive way would prevent him from keeping his mouth shut in this situation.
As expected, Rodriguez doubled down and denied the allegations. When MLB launched an investigation into the situation, he dug in his heels and refused to cooperate, pointing fingers in every direction to deflect blame along the way. At the same time he also decided to start feuding with the Yankee front office over the status of his injured hip, because one controversy wasn't enough.
To be fair, as more details about the situation were released, it wasn't just A-Rod who looked bad. Anthony Bosch (the proprietor of Biogenesis), the MLB commissioner's office, the reporters investigating the story, and the Yankee front office were all complicit in the fiasco. Bribery, obtaining information illegally, lying, making baseless accusations, you name it, they were all doing it. Everyone involved should have been embarrassed.
Ultimately, MLB handed down a whopping 211-game suspension to Rodriguez, by far the longest drug-related suspension in league history. He immediately appealed, which allowed him to play out the rest of the 2013 season when he was finally healthy enough.
When the appeal process began in the off-season, Rodriguez was incensed by what he found to be unfair treatment. Hilariously, he even went so far as to leave an arbitration hearing early to head straight to WFAN studios for an impromptu interview with Mike Francesa. Despite putting on an Academy Award-worthy performance as the victim in this situation, A-Rod didn't win anybody over.
2014
Arbitration wrapped up in January and the verdict for Rodriguez was a 162-game suspension, meaning he would miss the entire 2014 season. He initially intended on taking the case to higher courts. Instead, he finally came to the realization that he should have come to six years earlier. A-Rod would accept his punishment, lay low, and spend his time, money, and effort on rehabilitating his image.
Fallout
When Rodriguez returned to baseball in 2015, he understandably was showered with loud boos wherever he went. But his time off helped him significantly both on the field and off. As he enjoyed a renaissance season with the bat, he used his time on the road as an apology tour of sorts. In moments where he would previously assign blame to the those around him for his transgressions, he now took ownership of what he had done in the past. He was finally honest and sincerely apologetic about his role in the circus his career had become.
In a babyface turn that would make even Rowdy Roddy Piper jealous, Rodriguez incomprehensibly turned those boos into cheers by season's end. He's even managed to convince MLB to allow him to have an ever increasing role in covering nationally televised baseball games as a commentator. That's all good and well, but what do Hall of Fame voters think?
On one hand, no player has ever had anything near the documented history of steroid use that A-Rod had in his career. On the other hand, he never actually tested positive for steroid use when formal testing was instituted. Back to the first hand, it took many years of getting caught in a web of lies for Rodriguez to finally fess up and apologize for real when it came to steroid use. Switching hands again, no high profile player accused of using steroids has ever spent an entire baseball season apologizing to the baseball community and owning his mistakes.
Thus far, voters are beginning to give us a clear understanding on where they stand on the A-Rod Hall of Fame issue. We can best expect a modest increase on the ~35% share of the vote that he's collected in his first three years of eligibility. Clemens and Bonds rode similar modest increases all the way up to 65% of the vote in their tenth year on the ballot, which was still well short of election. Despite A-Rod's (eventual) steroid admission and the fact that he's still front and center in the baseball conversation thanks to his job as a TV studio analyst, his Cooperstown fate doesn't seem any different than the high-profile steroid users before him. Then again, A-Rod's shocked us all before.
As a third baseman in The New York Yankees All-Time All-Stars, a full profile on Alex Rodriguez can be found there.
Arbitration wrapped up in January and the verdict for Rodriguez was a 162-game suspension, meaning he would miss the entire 2014 season. He initially intended on taking the case to higher courts. Instead, he finally came to the realization that he should have come to six years earlier. A-Rod would accept his punishment, lay low, and spend his time, money, and effort on rehabilitating his image.
Fallout
When Rodriguez returned to baseball in 2015, he understandably was showered with loud boos wherever he went. But his time off helped him significantly both on the field and off. As he enjoyed a renaissance season with the bat, he used his time on the road as an apology tour of sorts. In moments where he would previously assign blame to the those around him for his transgressions, he now took ownership of what he had done in the past. He was finally honest and sincerely apologetic about his role in the circus his career had become.
In a babyface turn that would make even Rowdy Roddy Piper jealous, Rodriguez incomprehensibly turned those boos into cheers by season's end. He's even managed to convince MLB to allow him to have an ever increasing role in covering nationally televised baseball games as a commentator. That's all good and well, but what do Hall of Fame voters think?
On one hand, no player has ever had anything near the documented history of steroid use that A-Rod had in his career. On the other hand, he never actually tested positive for steroid use when formal testing was instituted. Back to the first hand, it took many years of getting caught in a web of lies for Rodriguez to finally fess up and apologize for real when it came to steroid use. Switching hands again, no high profile player accused of using steroids has ever spent an entire baseball season apologizing to the baseball community and owning his mistakes.
Thus far, voters are beginning to give us a clear understanding on where they stand on the A-Rod Hall of Fame issue. We can best expect a modest increase on the ~35% share of the vote that he's collected in his first three years of eligibility. Clemens and Bonds rode similar modest increases all the way up to 65% of the vote in their tenth year on the ballot, which was still well short of election. Despite A-Rod's (eventual) steroid admission and the fact that he's still front and center in the baseball conversation thanks to his job as a TV studio analyst, his Cooperstown fate doesn't seem any different than the high-profile steroid users before him. Then again, A-Rod's shocked us all before.
As a third baseman in The New York Yankees All-Time All-Stars, a full profile on Alex Rodriguez can be found there.
Andy Pettitte - Starting Pitcher, JAWS: 47.2, HoF JAWS: 61.5
No pitcher in Yankee history has started more games than Andy Pettitte. He and Whitey Ford both have 438 career starts in pinstripes, which is poetic in a way. They were both tough as nails lefties with confidence that far exceeded their talent and for that reason were especially lethal in October.
When it comes to his Hall of Fame case, Pettitte's achievements in the regular season come tantalizingly close to the Hall of Fame standard. He fell short of 300 wins, but his 256 career victories are more than Hall of Famers Jack Morris, Carl Hubbell, and Bob Gibson. He never earned a Cy Young Award, but he finished within the top six of the voting five times. His arm wasn't overpowering, but he rode an effective cut fastball to a career ERA that was 17% above average. If you squint hard enough, he could be worthy of enshrinement.
Where Pettitte's case really comes into focus, though, is his playoff record. From his sophomore season in 1996 all the way through to the end of his career, he was the man the Yankees looked to when they absolutely needed a win come October. No pitcher in major league history has started more playoff games, pitched more playoff innings, or won more playoff games than Pettitte.
As a 37-year old in 2009 Pettitte cemented his legacy as a great big game pitcher. That year he became the first ever starting pitcher to win the series-clinching game in the Division, League Championship and World Series in the same year. Those three victories gave him six playoff series-clinching wins for his career, also an all-time record. This adds some serious heft to his credentials, and under normal circumstances would probably push him over the bar for most voters. But for Pettitte, there's a catch.
Pettitte's number 46 was always a comforting sight for Yankee fans in October.kidsire/Wikimedia CommonsLike his good friend and teammate Roger Clemens, Pettitte was named in the Mitchell Report as having used HGH (human growth hormone) multiple times illegally in 2002. The source of the information was Brian McNamee - Clemens' trainer - and Pettitte readily admitted to using HGH twice in order to expedite his recovery from an elbow injury while denying any further use. This was a far cry from Clemens' take on the matter.
A few months after the Mitchell Report was released, it was revealed that during a court hearing that went public Pettitte had also admitted to further HGH use in 2004 when his father was prescribed it for a serious illness. He also described Clemens as detailing his steroid use to him in the late 1990's, just as McNamee had done in the Mitchell Report.
It would have been nice if Pettitte had revealed this additional use during his first admission of guilt for the 2002 evidence. The fact that he didn't made it reasonable to question anything he was saying as fact, but when he reported to spring training in 2008, he came clean on everything and offered heartfelt apologies to his teammates, fans and family.
It was refreshing that Pettitte eventually was honest and forthcoming about his transgressions. It wasn't a popular tactic among those found guilty of steroid use at the time and cost him his friendship with Clemens. Still, he hasn't scored any points with the BBWAA as a result. In his debut on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2019 he received only about 10% of the vote and has seen only modest increases in his share since then. In his seventh year on the ballot this time around, he's appeared on about a third of those that have gone public so far, which is a much higher percentage than he has gotten historically. Still, it's a far cry from the 75% needed for election. If HGH use was not a part of his past, those numbers certainly would have been higher.
What seems likely for Pettitte is that he'll remain in Hall of Fame purgatory at the hands of the BBWAA. That means a ten-year stay on the ballot where he won't get particularly close to a plaque in Cooperstown. By the end of that run, however, the stance on steroid use in baseball may have softened quite a bit. If so, it wouldn't be surprising to see a veterans committee elect Pettitte somewhere down the line. Given his contrite apologies regarding his HGH use, he'd be far from the worst character in baseball to be enshrined.
As a starting pitcher in The New York Yankees All-Time All-Stars, a full profile on Andy Pettitte can be found there.
All numbers used in this article were obtained from Baseball Reference.
No pitcher in Yankee history has started more games than Andy Pettitte. He and Whitey Ford both have 438 career starts in pinstripes, which is poetic in a way. They were both tough as nails lefties with confidence that far exceeded their talent and for that reason were especially lethal in October.
When it comes to his Hall of Fame case, Pettitte's achievements in the regular season come tantalizingly close to the Hall of Fame standard. He fell short of 300 wins, but his 256 career victories are more than Hall of Famers Jack Morris, Carl Hubbell, and Bob Gibson. He never earned a Cy Young Award, but he finished within the top six of the voting five times. His arm wasn't overpowering, but he rode an effective cut fastball to a career ERA that was 17% above average. If you squint hard enough, he could be worthy of enshrinement.
Where Pettitte's case really comes into focus, though, is his playoff record. From his sophomore season in 1996 all the way through to the end of his career, he was the man the Yankees looked to when they absolutely needed a win come October. No pitcher in major league history has started more playoff games, pitched more playoff innings, or won more playoff games than Pettitte.
As a 37-year old in 2009 Pettitte cemented his legacy as a great big game pitcher. That year he became the first ever starting pitcher to win the series-clinching game in the Division, League Championship and World Series in the same year. Those three victories gave him six playoff series-clinching wins for his career, also an all-time record. This adds some serious heft to his credentials, and under normal circumstances would probably push him over the bar for most voters. But for Pettitte, there's a catch.
Like his good friend and teammate Roger Clemens, Pettitte was named in the Mitchell Report as having used HGH (human growth hormone) multiple times illegally in 2002. The source of the information was Brian McNamee - Clemens' trainer - and Pettitte readily admitted to using HGH twice in order to expedite his recovery from an elbow injury while denying any further use. This was a far cry from Clemens' take on the matter.
A few months after the Mitchell Report was released, it was revealed that during a court hearing that went public Pettitte had also admitted to further HGH use in 2004 when his father was prescribed it for a serious illness. He also described Clemens as detailing his steroid use to him in the late 1990's, just as McNamee had done in the Mitchell Report.
It would have been nice if Pettitte had revealed this additional use during his first admission of guilt for the 2002 evidence. The fact that he didn't made it reasonable to question anything he was saying as fact, but when he reported to spring training in 2008, he came clean on everything and offered heartfelt apologies to his teammates, fans and family.
It was refreshing that Pettitte eventually was honest and forthcoming about his transgressions. It wasn't a popular tactic among those found guilty of steroid use at the time and cost him his friendship with Clemens. Still, he hasn't scored any points with the BBWAA as a result. In his debut on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2019 he received only about 10% of the vote and has seen only modest increases in his share since then. In his seventh year on the ballot this time around, he's appeared on about a third of those that have gone public so far, which is a much higher percentage than he has gotten historically. Still, it's a far cry from the 75% needed for election. If HGH use was not a part of his past, those numbers certainly would have been higher.
What seems likely for Pettitte is that he'll remain in Hall of Fame purgatory at the hands of the BBWAA. That means a ten-year stay on the ballot where he won't get particularly close to a plaque in Cooperstown. By the end of that run, however, the stance on steroid use in baseball may have softened quite a bit. If so, it wouldn't be surprising to see a veterans committee elect Pettitte somewhere down the line. Given his contrite apologies regarding his HGH use, he'd be far from the worst character in baseball to be enshrined.
As a starting pitcher in The New York Yankees All-Time All-Stars, a full profile on Andy Pettitte can be found there.
All numbers used in this article were obtained from Baseball Reference.
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