Pettitte said Yankees's strong bid is what changed his mind

NEW YORK -- Andy Pettitte returned to New York for a reunion and decided to stay.

After three seasons with his hometown Houston Astros, he came up to the big city for a Nov. 10 gathering of the Yankees' 1996 World Series championship team, a benefit for manager Joe Torre's Safe at Home Foundation.

"Really at that time, there was no chance. In my mind it was Houston or nowhere -- or retiring," Pettitte said. "It was out of my mind returning to New York."

By Dec. 8, Pettitte had changed his mind, turning down a $12 million offer to stay with the Astros to accept a $16 million, one-year contract with the Yankees, a deal that was finalized Thursday.

Pettitte said Torre and the Yankees put on a "absolutely the full-court press on me" to persuade him to rejoin Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada.

The 34-year-old left-hander pitched for the Yankees from 1995-03 and went 13-8 for them in postseason play. He was 14-13 with a 4.20 ERA last season and joins a Yankees rotation that is projected to include Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina, Randy Johnson and Kei Igawa -- or perhaps Carl Pavano is trying to come back from injuries that have sidelined him since mid-2005.

Roger Clemens, who like Pettitte left after the 2003 season to join the Astros, is another possibility.

"He's continued to come back and he's continued to be the best pitcher in the league. So you're like: Why wouldn't he play?" Pettitte said. "That's my take on it. So I'm sure he'll come back and play. Who with? I have no idea."