Disclaimer: I am well aware that Andy Pettitte was alleged to have used steroids in the Mitchell Report and later admitted to it in his testimony to Congress. With all of this background in mind, this head-to-head between Andy Pettitte and CC Sabathia is meant to compare them based solely on their career numbers and achievements without judgment on Pettitte’s steroid use during his career.
Historically, lefties are over-represented in baseball for strategic reasons: left-handed hitters generally have the advantage in matchups vs. right-handed pitchers and thus, left-handed pitchers are a prized commodity because they can neutralize that perceived advantage. From Warren Spahn to Sandy Koufax to Randy Johnson to Clayton Kershaw, great left-handed pitchers are nevertheless far harder to come by than their right-handed counterparts due to their relative dearth overall in society (lefties are ~10% of the total population). As such, Andy Pettitte and CC Sabathia were two of the most valuable pitchers of their era in the 2000s and 2010s – not only were they coveted for being southpaws, but both players also accumulated 250+ career victories apiece; between these two great left-handed starting pitchers, the question is:
Who was better – Andy Pettitte or CC Sabathia?
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