No bugs, three hits, no errors and a little bit of a scare. That was the final line on Joba Chamberlain last night in the Yankees’ 8-4 victory over the Indians in Game 3 of the AL Division Series.
Two days after the closest thing he’s had to a meltdown this season, Chamberlain entered with a five-run lead in the seventh inning and had Yankees fans holding their collective breath for a moment in the eighth. All could exhale when Bobby Abreu squeezed his glove shut with the final out of the inning.
Joe Torre said afterward he stuck with Chamberlain for two innings because he wanted to avoid using Mariano Rivera for multiple innings. Chamberlain would still be an option to pitch if needed tonight in Game 4.
“My cleats will be on,” Chamberlain said. “We’ll see what happens, and I’ll definitely be ready.”
Despite allowing a run on Trot Nixon’s RBI double, Chamberlain got the ball to Rivera with a four-run lead last night, all the Yankees could have asked for with their season on the line. It was a different story in Game 2 on Friday in Cleveland. That night Chamberlain, distracted by a swarm of insects known as Lake Erie midges, uncorked two wild pitches in the eighth inning that allowed the Indians to make it 1-1. Travis Hafner’s RBI single against Luis Vizcaino in the 11th inning won it.
Chamberlain retired the side in order in the seventh last night, but struggled in the eighth.
With two outs, Jhonny Peralta walked, Kenny Lofton singled and Nixon smashed his RBI double. With the tying run on deck and Rivera warming in the bullpen, Casey Blake hit a shot to deep right that Abreu caught, all but starting the victory celebration.
“They’re a great team and they put together great at-bats,” Chamberlain said. “As you go through it, you’ve got to make better pitches, and I didn’t make very good pitches and just have to be better next time.”
mpuma@nypost.com