"I thought he looked real good," Hank Steinbrenner said. "It's early, but he looked very smooth. Very good and good control. That's the key with all that's happened, come right in and throw strikes right away."
Pettitte is in the middle of a dispute between ex-teammate Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee, the former trainer of the two pitchers. Pettitte told Congressional lawyers that Clemens informed him nearly a decade ago that he used human growth hormone.
"I think he'll handle it fine," Steinbrenner said. "He'll handle it in his own quiet manner and try and stay focused, which I think he will."
Last Wednesday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee sent a letter to Attorney General Michael Mukasey asking the Justice Department to investigate whether Clemens committed perjury or made knowingly false statements to the committee during its investigation into performance-enhancing drugs.
Pettitte's testimony, among other things, was cited in the letter to Mukasey.
"I just can't wait until the day where I don't have to answer a whole lot of questions about that," Pettitte said. "I think I've told you all, I can't do any more than I've done. I've apologized. I've got a job to do now. I can't waste any more energy emotionally on that whole deal.
"I'm just looking forward to pitching and trying to help this team, and trying to help these guys on the staff. I don't foresee it being a problem, really. I don't. No way possible that's going to be, if I have struggles or whatever, going to be an excuse for me because that's no excuse."
Pettitte struck out one, walked one, picked off a runner and induced an inning-ending double play in the first. He threw 13 of 21 pitches for strikes.
"All in all, I was real happy," he said. "It definitely was a good day."
Jason Giambi had four RBIs for the Yankees. He hit a three-run homer off Cole Hamels in the first and added an RBI double in the third.
Hamels allowed four runs and three hits - including two homers - in two innings.
"A lot of times you throw a fastball in there and it's obviously not going to be at the right or a similar speed of what you can throw during the season," Hamels said. "I know my body is not there yet."
Pat Burrell had a solo homer and Brennan King hit a two-run single for the Phillies.
Notes:
Hank Steinbrenner said there's not an official plan yet,
but former Yankees center fielder Bernie Williams will be honored
by the team. "Obviously, Bernie is special to us," Steinbrenner
said. ... New York LF-DH Hideki Matsui didn't take batting practice
due to a stiff neck, but might hit Monday. Matsui, coming off knee
surgery, could see his first game action next week. ... Yankees
closer Mariano Rivera threw 41 pitches off a bullpen mound and
could make his spring training debut Friday. ... The Yankees
assigned Cs Jesus Montero and Austin Romine, and INFs Eric Duncan
and Eduardo Nunez to their minor league camp.
