Andy Pettitte

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:

New York Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte pitched a complete game in the final start of his career on Saturday night, as the Yankees earned a 2-1 win over the Houston Astros in the 41-year-old's final appearance on the mound, per CBS Sports' Eye on Baseball Twitter feed:

One of the greatest careers in New York Yankees history is coming to an end.

As first reported by Joel Sherman of the New York Post, Andy Pettitte has announced he will retire at the conclusion of the 2013 Yankees season:

Andy Pettitte has pitched in the major leagues for 18 years, but his career is coming to a close. The veteran pitcher announced that he would retire at the end of the season on Friday, per the Yankees' Twitter feed: 

Andy Pettitte will retire following the 2013 season. #icon

The New York Yankees are in the thick of a playoff race, but that may not stop left-hander Andy Pettitte from announcing his retirement Friday afternoon, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

Could Andy Pettitte be coming back for one more season?

According to Andy McCullough of The Star-Ledger, it certainly seems like a possibility:

Make it 250 for Andy Pettitte.

The New York Yankees left-hander finally got the 250th win of his career on Saturday, pitching 7.1 innings of one-run ball against the Seattle Mariners to lead the Bombers to a 3-1 victory.

In Major League Baseball, veterans are always a key component to the success of a team, but there are some elder statesman who will have a major role for their respective clubs in 2013.

Guys like Andy Pettitte of the New York Yankees and R.A. Dickey of the Toronto Blue Jays will each be of vital importance to their respective team's pitching staffs. Meanwhile, A.J. Pierzynski will have to make an impact on both sides of the ball for the Texas Rangers.

The New York Yankees were supposed to see a familiar face out on the mound on Tuesday night for the first time in a couple of months, but Mother Nature had other plans.

If you haven't noticed lately, Andy Pettitte is becoming a strikeout pitcher for the New York Yankees. That's strange because on the cusp of turning 40, it's the first time in the Yankee legend's career he's been known for such a distinction.