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For years, Andy Pettitte was highly regarded as the man to have on the hill to end a losing streak. Pettitte was one of the most reliable (still could be?) starters in the major leagues and became known as a "stopper" in Yankeeland.
We very well may have another "stopper" on our hands.
Ivan Nova has become the go-to guy during losing streaks for the New York Yankees. Last season, the Yankees lost three or more consecutive games on six separate occasions. Below is a chart listing the length of the losing streak on the day that the Yankees finally snapped it as well as how the starting pitcher faired during that game.
| Date | Losing Streak | Starter | IP | H | ER | BB | SO |
| May 6 | 3 Games | Ivan Nova | 7.1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| May 17 | 6 Games | Ivan Nova | 5.1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| June 10 | 3 Games | Ivan Nova | 7.0 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| August 10 | 3 Games | Ivan Nova | 6.0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| September 11* | 4 Games | Freddy Garcia | 5.0 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| September 30** | 4 Games | Ivan Nova | 6.1 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 5 |
* = Cory Wade was credited with the win.
** = Game 1 of the ALDS (CC Sabathia started, tossing two innings, before the game was ultimately delayed due to inclement weather).
While Ivan Nova didn't necessarily pitch like a stud each and every time the Yankees had a long losing streak, he was certainly good enough in all those outings to be a "stopper" and end the skids.
It'd be silly to neglect the fact that, for whatever reason, the Yankees offense happens to get up for Nova, scoring a total of 38 runs in the five games listed above (4, 6, 11, 9, 9, respectively) for an average of 7.6 runs per game.
The Yankees started this season 0-3 for the first time since 1998, and sure enough, Nova was front and center to get them back on track.
Nova's final line yesterday: 7 innings, 10 hits, 2 earned runs, 0 walks, 7 strikeouts.
Draw your own narratives from the listed data, but Nova's happened to start six of the last seven games that the Yankees have ended a 3+ game losing streak.