Andy Pettitte is jealous of new teammates who still may get an extra adrenaline rush facing the Red Sox.
After 31 career starts against Boston, all of them in a Yankees uniform, Pettitte tries to view this rivalry through the eyes of others so he can gain an appreciation.
“I’m not going to lie to you: I wish I got a little bit more excited,” said Pettitte, who is scheduled to face Jon Lester in tonight’s series finale at Yankee Stadium. “I hate it, because I wish it was new and fresh to me.”
He will settle for continuing his recent hot streak. The left-hander has allowed just two earned runs over his last two starts, totaling 13 innings, and overall has been a vastly improved pitcher in his four starts since the All-Star break, posting a 2.36 ERA.
Pettitte (9-6, 4.35 ERA) doesn’t have an explanation for the surge other than he rediscovered his signature cutter after struggling with the pitch earlier in the season.
“I feel like my cutter wasn’t working, and I kind of got away from it, the way I had been using it,” Pettitte.
His last start, on Tuesday in Toronto, rated among his best this season. Pettitte allowed just four hits over 6 2/3 innings and got his second win since the All-Star break.
That followed a July 30 start at Chicago in which Pettitte allowed two runs, one of which was unearned, over 6 1/3 innings, but was handed the loss.
Pettitte has thrived against the Red Sox over his 12 seasons in pinstripes. He takes a 16-9 career record with a 3.76 ERA against Boston into tonight’s start, having lost at Fenway Park during the Yankees’ last visit. Pettitte allowed three earned runs over six innings that night.
mpuma@nypost.com
