Quick take:

Welcome home Andy Pettitte. He got his first win as a Yankee after three years and it was a thing of beauty. It's a different Andy that's for sure.

I heard Michael Kay say that Andy used to throw 95 mph which is just remarkable in its absurdity. Pettitte topped out at 92 on a good day in his prime. Now he changes speeds, hits his spots, and keeps batters off balance. I'm still not sure how he will do for a full season with his velocity mostly around 87-89, but it was a joy to see him only have one, three ball count all night and control the game completely. And we know he's a fierce competitor which always keeps him in games even when he has men on base.

ARod is unconscious right now. I've been trying to think of another HR steak like this and I can only come up with Don Mattingly when he hit eight in eight games in '87.

Melky Man is coming alive finally, going 3-4 and made a fine catch in left.

Give it up for Minky. He does look really good at first base, especially the way Jeter used the turf to bounce a throw to get an out at 1B. The bench is still unbalanced when they are healthy unfortunately.

My man Kevin Thompson whacked a double and drove in two runs late in the game. And who wanted him called up? He did well when he came up last year, but it'll be tough for him to get a real chance in Pinstripes realistically so...he might become a nice bargaining chip for Cashman.

Update [2007-4-11 3:12:51 by anaconda]:

Just to add my two cents to John’s commentary, I would argue that the unsung heroes these last two games are Damon and Jeter at the top of the order.   Of course, Captain Jeter is rarely overshadowed on this team, but the play of A-Rod -- along with the performances of Pavano and Pettitte -- seem to have done just that.

Damon and Jeter are a combined (7-18, .389 AVG) with 3 RBIs and 9 runs scored this series -- including the HR by Damon to essentially put Tuesday’s game away in the 5th inning.   It almost seems as if these guys are on-base every time Abreu and A-Rod step up to the plate and have been right in the middle of every rally.

It’s great to see Damon get off to a hot start after being hampered the first week with the strained calf muscle.