This was Joba’s Revenge.
And sticking out his tongue at Derek Jeter was just part of the show.
There are no Joba Rules anymore.
The revenge was not hitting Jeter with a pitch in the 10th inning — he said he felt terrible about that — but coming in and getting a huge strikeout in the ninth inning on Martin Prado and letting loose with a gyrating fist pump, that was vintage Joba Chamberlain.
Then he got through the 10th, even after hitting Jeter on the left arm and immediately apologizing to his former teammate.
Chamberlain got four huge outs in the Tigers’ 4-3, 12-inning win over the Yankees Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium.
As for sticking out his tongue, Joba had promised he was going to do that and he kept his word.
“I’ve seen the [Jeter] head nod every day for seven years and I always said if I faced him, I was going to stick out my tongue,’’ Chamberlain said. “I said, ‘All right, let me try it.’ ”
Chamberlain was distraught after he hit Jeter, but he admitted life can be more fun as a Tiger.
“I can show my emotions more now,’’ Chamberlain said. “I’d be lying if I didn’t say I did. They look at it totally different here. This is who I am as a person and I wear my heart on my sleeve through and through.’’
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And sometimes he sticks out his tongue on the mound.
That’s Joba, the full show.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi said he had no issues with Joba being Joba.
“He did his job,’’ Girardi said. As for the antics, Girardi said, “It’s just his personality. He’s going to show some emotion, that’s just who he is. I don’t have a problem with players showing emotion, I don’t.’’
Earlier, Joba said he felt terrible about hitting Jeter.
“I never felt worse in my life,’’ Chamberlain said. “It was awful. I’ve known Derek a long time and he means a lot to me. With two outs, that was the last thing I wanted to do.
“You played with him and you played against him, he’s one of the greatest players to ever play this game and more so a greater person,’’ Chamberlain said of his deep respect for Jeter. “That means more to me than anything, his numbers speak for themself — but just the way he treated me. I just had a big conversation with him before the game, too, so like I said, it sucks.’’
Jeter immediately acknowledged the apology and told Joba, “No problem.”
You take it all with Joba, the good, the bad and the ugly, including that beard.
Jeter never came out to meet with the media after the game, but Mark Teixeira said it best, noting, “You take Joba and all his quirks, but he was a good teammate when he was here and I’m happy for him.’’
Chamberlain received a chorus of boos as he entered the game.
“That didn’t bother me at all,’’ Chamberlain said. “I gave them everything I got for seven years, some were good, some were bad, but I left it on the field every time.’’
Yes he did, and sure he made his mistakes, but the Yankee fans could have risen above the anger. The boos were loud from the crowd of 40,078.
“You don’t have to like me,’’ Joba said, “but respect the fact I did go out there. You have the right to boo. But I was so grateful for the seven years and the support that I got here. At the end of the day, it’s just a game. Some days are better than others.’’
“Joba has been tremendous,’’ Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski said.
“He really has been the anchor of our bullpen the whole year long. He’s gotten so many big outs. He’s a gamer, he’s fun to be around.’’
Especially when he sticks out his tongue.