The time has come for Joba Chamberlain. Yankees’ part owner Hank Steinbrenner is getting his way, as the highly touted pitcher will move into the club’s starting rotation once he’s groomed for the role.
He won the debate about Joba Chamberlain, who officially is on his way to becoming a starter. Steinbrenner stopped all the speculation about Chamberlain remaining in the bullpen as a setup man, albeit the most dominating setup man in the business.
Manager Joe Girardi kept Chamberlain out there for two innings and 35 pitches at the end Wednesday night and revealed afterward that the lad wasn’t out there just to get some exercise. He is being stretched out to start games.
That’s what Hank always wanted and what he had, coincidentally, said in an interview with mlb.com yesterday afternoon.
“This was the plan all along,” Girardi said after the game, with the same straight face he had used when he had hinted on Saturday that Chamberlain could remain a reliever for the rest of the season.
Well, nobody should be surprised. It was only a matter of time before Chamberlain moved into the rotation anyway and once Hank made it public knowledge that he wanted the kid to start, an announcement was soon to follow. Girardi must love management telling him how to run his club.
