Sports Illustrated cover jinx: Part … Yankees’ Core Four

Nothing’s official yet, but all signs are pointing in the direction of the disabled list for Andy Pettitte, who left Wednesday’s start after just 77 pitches.

Andrew Marchand of ESPN New York is reporting Sergio Mitre or Alfredo Aceves would replace Pettitte in the rotation — not Joba Chamberlain or Ivan Nova, the best young starter for Triple-A Scranton.

Either way, Pettitte’s not healthy, and I’m blaming this Sports Illustrated cover of the Core Four. I don’t normally believe in jinxes, but this is getting ridiculous. Since the issue was released, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera and now Pettitte have sustained injuries.

All I have to say is: Derek, watch out!

Yankees’ core four featured on Sports Illustrated cover

Of course, my Sports Illustrated subscription just expired so I’ll have to buy this one individually.

The Star-Ledger offered an excerpt from Tom Verducci’s lunch date with Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera. Here it is:

SI: I want to go back to 1992, when Andy was throwing to Jorge, a converted second baseman, in Class A in Greensboro, N.C.

Posada: Go back to 1991. I was catching a bullpen from him [at short-season Class A] Oneonta, and he’s throwing me knuckleballs. The ball hit me right in the knee. I said, ‘No more knuckleballs.’

Pettitte: I had a knuckleball when I signed.

Jeter: Yeah, you’re still throwing knuckleballs.

Pettitte: I’d get two strikes on somebody and throw it as hard as I could. Struck everybody out. And then they told me after the first year, “You’ve got to can it.” They said, “After you’ve pitched for 10 years in the big leagues, if you want to break it back out, you can.”

SI: So now you can throw it again.

Pettitte: It’s no good now. I lost it.