2. Early Life
Pettitte was born on June 15,
1972, in Baton Rouge,
Louisiana. He is of Italian and
Cajun descent, and the
younger of two children born
to Tommy and JoAnn Pettitte.
He attended Deer Park High
School in Deer Park, Texas,
where he pitched for the school's
baseball team. His fastball
ranged from between 85 to 87
miles per hour (137 to 140 km/h).
He also played center and nose
guard for the school's football
team.
3. Professional Life
Baseball America ranked Pettitte the 49th best
prospect in baseball prior to the 1995
season. The Yankees demoted him back
to the minors on May 16 to allow him to
continue starting. Eleven days later, he
was recalled due to an injury to Jimmy
Key. He recorded his first major league win
on June 7
Starting the season in the rotation, Pettitte had
a 13–4 record at the end of the first half of the
season, and made the AL All-Star team.
Unfortunately, He did not appear in the 1996
MLB All-Star Game, due to a sore arm. He led
the AL with 21 wins and finished third in
winning percentage (.724), and eighth in ERA
(3.87).
4. Career Perspective
Pettitte won 20 games in a season twice, posting 21–8 records in 1996
and 2003. He was part of seven American League pennant-winning
teams, one National League pennant-winning team and five World
Series championship teams. He holds the record for most wins in
postseason history with 19. He is the only MLB pitcher since 1930 to
win at least 12 games in each of his first nine seasons.
5. Personal Life
Pettitte met his wife Laura in high
school. They have four children.
Pettitte and his wife are devout
Christians. Josh was selected
by the Yankees in the 37th
round of the 2013 MLB Draft,
but enrolled at Baylor University
rather than sign a professional
contract. He currrently plays at
Rice University after
transferring from Baylor in April
2014.