Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
August 30, 2007
Nuke Chamberlain

Chamberlain comes out for the ninth, and with one out faces Kevin Youkilis. He pulls a 'Nuke' LaLoosh and throws a 1-1 pitch over Kevin's head to the back stop. On the next pitch, he does exactly the same thing, and the umpire tosses him. Now, I assume the ump thought the pitches were intentional, since Posada called for an outside pitch on the second one. But Joba came nowhere near Kevin's head; the pitches were very high. I'd worry there's something wrong with Chamberlain and it caused him to lose control.

Still, good call by the umpire. If a pitcher is that wild, he shouldn't be in the game. He might kill somebody.

Update: The NESN replay shows that both times, Posada called for a fastball on the outside corner. There's no reason for Chamberlain to be throwing at Kevin, at least, no obvious reason.


Posted by David Pinto at 04:04 PM | Pitchers | TrackBack (0)
Comments

here is where you make the comment that joba is no neville chamberlain (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neville_Chamberlain). joba the aggressor vs neville the appeaser.

Posted by: atq at August 30, 2007 04:20 PM

Of course Joba was trying to tattoo Youk's helmet. He is a kid with nasty stuff, the Yankee crowd loves him so of course, what better way please your new found following and solidifying yourself as a Yankee by than nailing someone in the head from their lifetime rivalry. I believe that Posada and the dugout did not know of Joba's intention but to anyone with an unbiased eye, he tried twice to deliberately hit Youkilis in the head. End of story.

Posted by: Tony at August 30, 2007 06:09 PM

Of course Joba was trying to tattoo Youk's helmet. He is a kid with nasty stuff, the Yankee crowd loves him so of course, what better way please your new found following and solidifying yourself as a Yankee by than nailing someone in the head from their lifetime rivalry. I believe that Posada and the dugout did not know of Joba's intention but to anyone with an unbiased eye, he tried twice to deliberately hit Youkilis in the head. End of story.

Posted by: Tony at August 30, 2007 06:11 PM

So idiotic you posted it twice?

Posted by: Nate at August 30, 2007 06:17 PM

Joba didn't seem like himself out there today. He started off pitching balls and not strikes. I think he was simply mentally not quite ready to come into the game yet.

Posted by: Devon Young at August 30, 2007 06:50 PM

Hey Nate, it's not my fault you are an idiot. Try and grow a functional braincell. Joba tried twice to hit Youk in the head. It's a fact. Live with it.

Posted by: Tony at August 30, 2007 07:04 PM

Good comeback Tony. "I know you are but what am I." A schoolyard classic.

If he indeed was trying to hit Youk in the head, btw, his command was off worse than we thought, since each pitch sailed so far over Youk's head that he didn't even have to duck.

So that's cleared up then. He wasn't trying to hit him. Was he sending a message tho? Don't dig in next time you see me in September? Maybe. But in his post-game interview Joba comes off pretty sincere in claiming he was overthrowing and both pitches got away from him.

Posted by: Yankee Fan in Chicago at August 30, 2007 07:10 PM

What Yankee Fan states is exactly what Yankees said when Carl Mays killed Ray Chapman with a Polo Grounds pitch, what Yanks said when Bump Hadley ended Mickey Cochrane's career with a pitch, what they said when Goose Gossage hit Ron Cey in the head with a WS pitch, and especially what the Yanks said when Roger Clemens, gutless as ever, threw into Mike Piazza's face.
With the Yanks, it is always: "Oh, it got away". I grew up 10 min from Yankee Stadium in the 30s & on and the Yank story never changes.

Posted by: Bob S at August 30, 2007 09:47 PM

For the record, I don't thik Joba was throwing at Youklis, though it's silly to try to read minds either way. I will say this...it's funny that yet again, Yankee hitters are drilled during a Sox/Yankees series, and Yankee hitters say nothing, but a Sox player is "thrown at" but NOT hit, and it's the end of the world.

Posted by: Brian at August 30, 2007 10:23 PM

If what Brian claims is correct, how come the only two fights involving Yanks/Red Sox in past 5 years, re Garcia/Martinez pitch and A-Rod/Arroyo pitch took place with Yank batters involved.

Posted by: Bob S at August 31, 2007 01:52 PM

This is from this April:

"Since the start of the 2000 season, a Red Sox pitcher has been far more likely to hit a Yankees batter with a pitch than the other way around. Entering tonight's Red Sox-Yankees game at Yankee Stadium, Boston pitchers have hit 80 Yankees hitters with pitches and Yankees pitchers have hit Red Sox hitters only 48 times, according to research conducted by STATS Inc."

The reason the fights happen when Yankees batters are hit is because its happening so often. It's about time Yankees pitchers stand up and strike back. Next series I hope Joba ruins David Ortiz's life with a fastball to the eye.

Posted by: Adam at August 31, 2007 02:26 PM

"Next series I hope Joba ruins David Ortiz's life with a fastball to the eye."

That is not even remotely funny. Anybody familiar with the Conigliaro story would be sickened by that line.

As if a guy with a 3 digit fastball needs to throw high and tight to be intimidating.

Posted by: thumble9 at August 31, 2007 11:43 PM
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