Joba Chamberlain knows what the mood of Yankees fans has been lately. As the team scuffled in series with the Nationals and Marlins, he heard the concern.
But the Yankees pitcher said no one in their clubhouse is worried, and after winning two of three this week in Atlanta, Chamberlain said he believes the team is back in form.
“It’s a long season,” Chamberlain said at an appearance in Manhattan yesterday for Delta Air Lines. “We’re not even at the All-Star break. “We’re not panicking. We just continue to play baseball and be ready for pitch one.”
Chamberlain appeared alongside Mets first baseman Daniel Murphy hours before their teams met at Citi Field to begin the latest Subway Series. The duo judged a contest to award two fans with premium tickets to tomorrow’s series finale.
Chamberlain was a few minutes late to the contest after getting in late Thursday night from Atlanta, where he saw his team’s offense come to life.
After going hitless in the first 14 innings against the Braves, the Yankees scored 16 runs from the seventh inning of Wednesday’s 8-4 victory through the first four of Thursday’s 11-7 win, scoring at least one run in each inning.
“We’ve got a good momentum going,” Chamberlain said. “We’ve got everything going. Guys are doing well and it’s fun to be in the clubhouse.”
Murphy was equally pleased with the Mets, who took three of four from the Cardinals this week. Murphy did his best to downplay the meaning of this weekend’s series with the Yankees, despite the presence of dozens of fans clad in their most outrageous team gear in Pershing Square yesterday.
“It’s exciting to have this much excitement and enthusiasm going on in the city,” he said. “But it’s a 162-game season and this is another couple of games we’re trying to win and get closer to the Phillies.”
Chamberlain picked Spencer Lewis, 36, of Queens as the Yankees fan with the most flair yesterday. Lewis had his face painted, Yankees tattoos on his arm and an interlocking NY tattooed on two teeth. Ernie Searle, 57, of Brooklyn was the Mets winner. Searle had Mets sneakers, suspenders and a straw hat.