ANAHEIM, Calif. — Andy Pettitte made the fans at Angel Stadium sit on their thundersticks for most of the afternoon. Then, Vladimir Guerrero broke out his own Thunder Stick.
With one mammoth clout from the previously slumping Guerrero, the momentum in yesterday’s Game 3 of the AL Championship Series shifted. When the ball finally landed — deep beyond the left-field fence — the game was tied, and Pettitte now seemed like the hunted instead of the hunter.
All told, the left-hander allowed three earned runs over 6 1/3 innings and received a no-decision in the Yankees’ 5-4 loss to the Angels in 11 innings.
The Yankees led 3-1 with one out in the sixth, when Bobby Abreu snapped an 0-for-11 skid with a single to right. Torii Hunter then flied out before Guerrero worked the count to 2-2. Pettitte left a 91-mph fastball over the plate and Guerrero unloaded for his first homer this postseason.
“I felt good about what I was doing out there and I hated that I wasn’t able to get that last out there,” Pettitte said. “If you make a mistake, you’re going to get hurt. And I made a mistake to their No. 4 hitter.”
Pettitte missed an opportunity for his 16th career postseason victory and remains tied with John Smoltz for first place all-time in that category. If a Game 6 is needed on Saturday at the Stadium, Pettitte would get the call.
This wasn’t the same Pettitte who dominated the Twins in Game 3 of the ALDS. The Angels put runners on base in every inning against him, but Pettitte kept escaping.
That meant getting Hunter and Kendry Morales to hit into inning-ending double plays in the first two innings. It meant picking off Hunter in the fourth inning — officially ruled a caught stealing.
Howie Kendrick homered in the fifth, but it wasn’t until Guerrero’s blast an inning later that Pettitte seemed deflated. The lefty returned to start the seventh, retiring Kendry Morales, before Joba Chamberlain entered to face Kendrick.
“It’s a tough series and a tough place to play,” Pettitte said. “It’s just frustrating for me as a starter to have the lead late in the game and to give up that big blow there.”