When an athlete gets his or her number retired, family, friends and former teammates usually have nothing but kind things to say.
That’s not the case with Andy Pettitte.
On Sunday, Josh Pettitte—one of Andy’s sons—broke the news that the New York Yankees would be retiring Pettitte’s No. 46 in 2015:
The Yankees confirmed the news Monday:
Pettitte went 219-127 with a 3.94 ERA in his 15 years (two stints) in the Bronx. The southpaw was a three-time All-Star and helped bring five World Series championships to New York.
A resume like that looks worthy of getting a number retired, right? Former Yankees second baseman/left fielder Chuck Knoblauch, who was Pettitte’s teammate from 1998 to 2001, isn’t sure the left-hander deserves a spot in Monument Park:
If you recall, Pettitte was one of the players named in the Mitchell Report and later admitted to using HGH (human growth hormone). Knoblauch was also mentioned in the report.
Instead of just congratulating his former teammate, Knoblauch wants to make sure everyone remembers that Pettitte’s legacy is tainted. He did, however, explain his tweet:
Knoblauch had nothing but kind things to say about ex-teammates Jorge Posada and Bernie Williams:
While Pettitte will forever be a part of baseball’s steroid era, he was a beloved member of the Yankees during his playing days. Now, the team is rewarding him for all he did for the organization.
That doesn’t sit well with people like Knoblauch who believe Pettitte wasn’t honest enough.
[Twitter, h/t New York Post]
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