Joba Chamberlain says he was available for Game 5
Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain is struck with a broken bat and leaves the game in the 12th inning of ALDS Game 4. (Oct. 11, 2012) Credit: Thomas A. Ferrara
Joba Chamberlain, forced to leave ALDS Game 4 after taking a bat shard off his right elbow, gave a thumbs-up sign on the field during batting practice when asked if he would be available for Game 5.
Standing by his locker after the game, the righthander said he would have been ready had he been needed. Obviously, given CC Sabathia's performance, he was not.
"Not with big fella pitching,'' Chamberlain said. "But physically I felt great.''
Cano moving on
No hitter was hotter than Robinson Cano when the season ended — 24-for-39 — and few hit as poorly in any Division Series. He went 2-for-22, though he did have four RBIs.
“Nothing different,’’ Cano said of how he felt in this series compared to the end of the season. “They pitched me [well].’’
Held in check
A big key was the job Yankees pitchers did against Matt Wieters (3-for-20) and Adam Jones (2-for-23).
“We all know [without] Matt and Jonesy, we would be spectating from a long way away, starting probably around sometime in August if it wasn’t for the type of plays they made,’’ Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “I haven’t thought about it twice. I don’t get frustrated with them. I get frustrated for them because we know how good they are. And we’re very, very lucky in Baltimore to have those young men.’’
Family doings
For just the third time this season, George Steinbrenner’s widow, Joan Steinbrenner, was in attendance. She walked through the clubhouse after the game with other members of the family, offering congratulations, and stopped at Derek Jeter’s locker. Managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner, who was not at the first three games, was at the final two. He was not in the clubhouse when reporters were allowed in after game’s end.
Extra bases
CC Sabathia became the second Yankee to throw a complete game in a Division Series game. David Wells was the first, doing so in Game 3 of the 1997 ALDS….Derek Jeter (0-for-3) had his streak of four multi-hit games to start a postseason snapped. It matched the longest such streak in club history, matching Moose Skowron (1960 vs. Pittsburg), Lou Gehrig (1932 vs. Chicago-NL) and Babe Ruth (1928 vs. St. Louis-NL).
