The Yankees entered the season with Rafael Soriano and Mariano Rivera locked into the eighth and ninth innings.
Now, after watching Joba Chamberlain throw lights out in two chances in the seventh inning in the season’s first four games, manager Joe Girardi said Chamberlain has laid claim to the seventh inning, as well.
“Right now, that’s what we’re doing,” Girardi said after last night’s 4-3 win over the Twins.
Chamberlain said Girardi hadn’t spoken to him about his decision.
“That’s the first time I heard it,” he said. “It’s an honor and a privilege to have that role and to know that with the arms we’ve got down there they have enough confidence and faith in me to get guys out.”
Chamberlain entered spring training unsure of his role after the Yankees signed Soriano in the offseason. But he impressed Girardi with his performance during the spring, and has retired all six hitters he’s faced in two seventh inning appearances so far this season.
“We love the way he threw the ball in spring training,” Girardi said. “[Pedro] Feliciano is not healthy for us. There might be situations where you bring both of them in for an inning, Feliciano to face a couple of lefties and Joba to face a righty. But Joba has the ability to get lefties out, as well as righties, and we loved the way he threw the ball in spring training.”
After needing 13 pitches to set the side down in order in last Thursday’s season-opening win over the Tigers, Chamberlain threw nine pitches last night in a 1-2-3 seventh, forcing a flyout to center from Jason Kubel before getting Danny Valencia and Alexi Casilla to ground out to end the inning.
Chamberlain said the biggest difference for him this season is knowing exactly what his role on the team would be from the day he arrived at spring training.
“I never really got into a routine,” Chamberlain said. “This is the first time in spring training in 4½ years where I’ve had the opportunity in spring training to do exactly what I was going to do in the season.”