UPDATE: Per the man himself, Andrew Brackman says he has not been promoted to the Yankees, nor has he heard that it will happen. He is currently at home in Ohio.

On Sept. 14, Andrew Brackman pitched in relief of Andy Pettitte. If you'd told Brackman that night that he'd be sharing a big league clubhouse with Pettitte less than a week later, I'm sure he would have called you every kind of crazy in the book.

And yet, according to Cincinnati.com, it's true.

If so -- and I'm working on confirmation -- then it represents one heck of a turnaround from his horrific 2009 season, during which he went 2-12 with a 5.91 ERA. He was even pushed to the bullpen at one point to get himself straightened out.

This season, however, after a brief blip in the early going, things took a 180 for the 6-foot-10 former first-rounder.

He finished 2010 with an 11-10 mark, a 3.90 ERA and 126 strikeouts over 140 2/3 frames. Moreover, his stuff looked incredible, with the culmination coming in Game 1 of the Eastern League Championship Series. In relief of Pettitte that night, Brackman twirled five one-hit innings and earned what turned out to be the Thunder's last win of the season.

Now, as a member of the 40-man roster, he'll get a chance to pitch in another pennant race. This time, however, the stakes are much higher.