JOBAMANIA — 10 YEARS LATER
Ten years have passed since a 21-year-old kid from Nebraska took New York by storm
CLEVELAND — A decade has passed since Joba Chamberlain arrived in the big leagues — armed with a fastball that approached triple digits, a leg-buckling breaking ball and a personality the size of his native Nebraska. Ten years ago Monday, Chamberlain worked his first major league game in Toronto, and whwhen he was done with a two-nning stint against the Blue aw J Jays, were blown crusty away. Yankees veterans “He was electric,’’ Jason Giambi recalled of the 21-year-old Chamberlain’s debut — in which he worked two innings, allowed one hit, walked two and struck out two. “I think everybody thought after that night he was tthe heir to Mariano [Rivera].’’ Nothing across the following 18 games discouraged that thinking, even though Cham- berlain never came close to succeeding the future Hall of Famer. In 19 regular-season relief outings that year, Chamberlain went 2-0 with a 0.38 ERA and a save. He worked 24 innings, allowed a dozen hits, whiffed 34, walked six and posted a 0.750 WHIP.
Former manager Joe Torre watched from the first base dugout at Rogers Centre and instantly was impressed with a pitcher who worked at all four levels of the Yankees’ system in his first professional season.
“He had an explosive breaking ball and a powerful fastball, a heavy fastball,’’ Torre recalled of Chamberlain, who was taken in the first round (41st overall) of the 2006 draft out of Nebraska. “It didn’t look like he was afraid of anything and that was pretty cool. He was an emotional kid who if you handed the ball to him every day he would take it.’’
A career, which many believed should have turned out better than it did, began with Chamberlain
striking out pinch-hitter Ray Oledo on a 3-2 pitch while working with a 9-2 cushion. Chamberlain ended the ninth by feeding Aaron Hill a 4-6-3 double play. Roger Clemens was the winner.
Having thrown 88 ¹/3 innings in three minor league stops and making 15 starts (18 appearances), the Yankees implemented the “Joba Rules’’ when he arrived in the big leagues, with the hope they would protect a special arm.
Of course, Chamberlain’s big league debut got lost in what followed. He was on the mound getting attacked by midges in Game 2 of the 2007 ALDS in Cleveland, which the Indians won in four games and which led to Torre’s exit from The Bronx.
A fierce debate raged about whether he was a starter or a reliever. Hank Stein brenner publicly called f orr Chamberlain to start while others believed he was suited better for the bullpen.
“I didn’t think that delivery would allow him to be a starter,’’ said Dave Eiland, who was Chamberlain’ s pitching coach in the minors during 2007 and took over as the Yankees’ pitching coach the following year. “The delivery wasn’t repeatable, and I didn’t think it would play over 100 pitches.’’
Those who lobbied for Chamber- lain to be a starter point to July 25, 2008, when he outpitched Red Sox ace Josh Beckett in Fenway Park by throwing seven scoreless innings in which he allowed three hits, a walk and struck out nine. A little over a week later at Texas, Chamberlain left a start with a shoulder problem.
In 2009, Chamberlain started 32 of 33 games and went 9-6 with a 4.75 ERA. Shifted to the pen for the postseason, Chamberlain pitched well in 10 appearances.
A DUI arrest surfaced in October 2008. Tommy John surgery was required on his right elbow in the middle of the 2011 season. He suffered a gruesome ankle injury jumping oona trampoline with his son Karter during spring ttraining of 2012. After 45 games in 2013, his time in The Bronx was finished.
He bounced ffrom the Tigers to the Royals and worked 20 games for the 2016 Indians, who r el eased him on July 10. C Chamberlain went to spring training with the Brewers this year and was cut March 22.
Chamberlain couldn’ t be reached for comment, but friends say he still harbors thoughts of making it back to the big leagues in 2018. If he doesn’t throw anoth- erer pitch in the majors, his career ended where it started. Pitching for the Indians last year in a 17-1 loss to the Blue Jays in Toronto, he walked three, didn’t give up a hit and didn’t register a strikeout in 1 2/3 innings.
“Certain guys pop in and no matter how big of a splash they make or not, people remember, and people remember Joba,’’ Johnny Damon said.
What Damon remembered about Chamberlain’s debut was the buzz it created and how much he meant over the final seven weeks of the season.
“There was a lot of hype, and rightfully so. Joba was unbelievable for us. He brought a lot of energy and we needed it from a 21-yearold,’’ Damon said. “That was a great spark. We needed help and Joba helped us.’’
Ten years later, Chamberlain isn’t a starter or reliever, the midges are gone and the World Series ring he got in 2009 was well deserved after he appeared in 10 postseason games (three in the World Series) and posted a 2.84 ERA. And he is a big part of a Torre regret. “I second- guessed myself for not pulling the team off the field,’’ Torre said of the midges invading what was then Jacobs Field. “Joba was on the mound and he looked right at me and I knew he couldn’t see. We sent Gino [Gene Monahan, trainer] to the mound and little did we know that the stuff Gino was spraying on Joba’s face was like chateaubriand for those bugs.’’
Ten years ago Monday, and in a lot of ways it seems like just yesterday Chamberlain forced New York to pay attention to a kid from Nebraska.
“Certain guys pop in and no matter how big of a splash they make or not, people remember, and people remember Joba." — Johnny Damon on Joba Chamberlain AP