MINNEAPOLIS — Beginning Tuesday, Yankees fans won’t have to wait until the late innings to experience “Joba Mania.”
With the Yankees officially announcing today that Chamberlain will start Tuesday against the Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium, the buzz created by the cult hero who is known by only a first name and for his 98-mph fastball and filthy slider will smother The Bronx from the first pitch.
Having the Stadium’s denizens supporting him Tuesday night “will help and be comforting,” Chamberlain said.
Chamberlain, who has been stretched out to 55 pitches (27 in the bullpen Wednesday after 28 in the game against the Orioles) in three relief outings, will be on a 65-70 pitch count Tuesday.
Joe Girardi said there were a “ton of factors” that went into the decision and he didn’t want to list them all. One was keeping Andy Pettitte, who will start Monday against the Twins, on regular four days’ rest. Another was the pros and cons of Chamberlain making the big step on the road as opposed to at Yankee Stadium.
“Eventually he has to pitch at both places (home and road) so it doesn’t matter,” Girardi said of Chamberlain, who threw in the bullpen today and will do a lighter workout tomorrow.
Had Chamberlain been tabbed for Monday’s start, he would have been able to make it with his father, Harlan, watching. Now, Chamberlain and his pop are contemplating the family being in The Bronx on Tuesday.
The conversion from stud setup man to starter has been the biggest topic in the Yankees Universe since Chamberlain surfaced last year in the bullpen after starting for most of the year in the minors.
It was a plan hatched by GM Brian Cashman and organizational pitching coordinator Nardi Contreras, agreed to by Girardi, and strongly endorsed by Hank Steinbrenner.
Now, after 5-1/3 innings in three relief outings, Chamberlain has been deemed ready to take the ball every fifth day.
Much has been made that Chamberlain will need to use his curveball and changeup as a starter. Yet he said he isn’t going to abandon his patented heat.
“I have to locate my fastball, and when the time comes to use the other stuff, I will use it,” Chamberlain said.
When he was promoted last year, Chamberlain didn’t know he would evolve into a season-saver. Yet without him dominating as Mariano Rivera’s setup man, the Yankees wouldn’t have made it into the postseason as the AL Wild Card.
Because Chamberlain was so good, he is going to be expected to rescue a rotation that has been let down by ineffectiveness by and injury to Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, and whose best pitcher at the moment is Darrell Rasner.
Girardi said he knows there is no tempering the feelings about Chamberlain, a 23-year-old who at this time last year was in the second month of his professional career at Single-A Tampa.
“It doesn’t matter what I say,” Girardi said. “Every time he came out of the bullpen people expected him not to give up a run. When there is a lot of hype around you it’s hard to control people’s expectations, and I understand that.”