Joba Chamberlain: Time To Come Of Age

(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Can you feel it?

The electric atmosphere, the high intensity, the desperation.

All of these emotions are currently being felt at Yankee Stadium as the Boston Red Sox have come to town to begin a critical four game series.

As we all know, the Yankees are 0-8 against the Sox this season including a crushing walk off home run in the 11th at Fenway.  Despite leading Boston by 2 1/2 games in the division, the men in red seem to have the psychological advantage by going undefeated against their archrivals.

It is absolutely imperative for the Yankees to win this series; they need to prove that they can beat the teams they will be facing in October (that also includes the Angels). That is why it is so important for New York to get off on a good start and take the first game tonight. Enter Joba Chamberlain.

Attention, controversy, scrutiny, and speculation.

These have hovered over Chamberlain since he first laced up the cleats for the Yanks. The supposed “ace” of the future has had somewhat of a roller coaster ride of a professional career so far.

This season has been no different. Prior to the All-Star game, Chamberlain had been criticized for inconsistency, lack of control, and not being able to go deep into ball games.

Question marks had arisen around New York’s golden boy.

He seemed somewhat lost on the mound, indecisive and unsure.

However, since the All-Star break it seems as if something has clicked within the righty hurler. Joba came back from his time off and has gone 3-0 with a 0.89 ERA in his last three starts.

In each of those games, Joba the Hut pitched at least into the seventh inning. For the season, Chamberlain is 7-2 with a 3.58 ERA.

Now, he must kickoff arguably the most important four games for the Yankees this season on extra rest (Girardi skipped his last start to curb his innings). It’s time for Chamberlain to grow up and seize his potential and hype and channel it into actual results.

This will be the most important game Chamberlain will pitch during the entire regular season. A team and an entire city need him too succeed, to pitch well in the big game, to secure a “W” in what has been an embarrassment of a regular season rivalry.

It’s time for Joba Chamberlain to show that the pressure of New York will not break him, that he is the real deal.

It’s time for Joba Chamberlain to come of age. 

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