Joba Chamberlain’s Jersey Shore look-alike may not be a Yankee – but he’s still a major-league player.
Ryan Ward, 29, an unemployed Asbury Park resident, says he used the striking resemblance to reach home plate with women as many as 100 times since he began stealing the fireballer’s identity in June.
“Well, I hooked up with over 62 at least,” he said, making reference to Chamberlain’s number. “I got slapped a few times and yelled at, too, but I’d say there were about 20 or 30 of them who had no idea who I really was.”
Even women who knew Ward wasn’t really a Yankee often played along anyway, he said.
“Some of them found it amusing. Some of them didn’t even care,” he said.
One conquest became so angry upon learning his true identity that she slugged him on the arm hard enough to leave a nasty bruise, Ward said.
The real Joba, meanwhile, told The Post he’d “like to meet” Ward.
“I want to know what he was thinking,” Chamberlain said.
Cops finally busted Ward after he ignored several warnings to stop taking advantage of starstruck bartenders and Jersey girls. He was released on $10,000 bail.
“It was fun acting as him, but it spun out of control quickly,” Ward said.
“I didn’t mean any harm,” he said. “I probably wouldn’t do it again.”
A friend put the idea in his head after Ward began to be mistaken for the Nebraska-raised pitching phenom in the spring.
Ward said he hopes to turn his resemblance to Chamberlain into legitimate work.
“I wouldn’t mind becoming his celebrity impersonator,” Ward said.