Joba Chamberlain hasn’t thrown a pitch in a decade — but he still has some heat left for a longtime Red Sox nemesis.
During a recent appearance on “The Eddie Mata Show,” the former Yankees flamethrower didn’t hesitate when asked which player he disliked most during his 10-year career.
“Kevin Youkilis,” Chamberlain replied, without blinking.
Chamberlain, 40, burst onto the scene with the Yankees in 2007, overwhelming hitters with a 100 mph fastball and a 0.38 ERA in 19 games.
That breakout run came with drama — specifically, with the then–Red Sox first baseman.
The right-hander fired two fastballs over Youkilis’ head on Aug. 30, 2007, earning an ejection, a $1,000 fine and a two-game suspension over his “inappropriate actions.”
Then-Yankees skipper Joe Torre and Chamberlain insisted he wasn’t trying to hit Youkilis, with the rookie saying the pitches “slipped” out of his hand.
The tension carried into the following year when Youkilis collided with Chamberlain at home plate on a wild pitch on July 8, 2008.
Weeks later, Chamberlain sent another heater up near his head — this time clipping Youkilis’ bat.
“So technically, he hasn’t hit him, but he’s gone up and in on [Youkilis] way too many times for it to be a coincidence,” Yankees announcer Michael Kay said during an August 20, 2012, YES Network broadcast replaying their past issues — moments after Chamberlain actually hit Youkilis, who was then with the White Sox, in the back.
“I just didn’t like him,” Chamberlain said. “Obviously, [it started] when he was with the Red Sox, he never came and got me.”
For his career, Chamberlain struggled against Youkillis, with the three-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner hitting .333/.565/.900 with a home run and four RBIs against the righty in 23 plate appearances.
After all their personal drama, the pair became teammates when the Yankees signed Youkilis as a free agent ahead of the 2013 season in the wake of an Alex Rodriguez injury.
At the time, Chamberlain tried to downplay their history, telling reporters their run-ins were overblown and that there was “nothing” between them.
“It’s one of those things where people made it a bigger deal than it was,” Chamberlain said, per the Associated Press.
“There’s nothing to it. There’s nothing between us. I’m glad to have him on our side. We’re two grown men. We’re playing on the same team. Our one goal is to win.”
Despite his public praise, Chamberlain said that Youkillis’ silence after he initially reached out did not sit well.
“Then he was my teammate and I was like, ‘Dude, it’s baseball. Between the lines, it is what it is but you’re my teammate,” Chamberlain told Mata. “I called him right when he signed and he ignored me, ignored me ignored me. He gets to spring training and then he wants to be all buddy-buddy.”
Their stint as teammates was short-lived, however, as a recurring back injury limited Youkillis to just 28 games before he underwent season-ending surgery.
Youkilis, who signed a one-year, $12 million contract with the Yankees, hit just .219 with 2 homers and eight RBIs in what ended up as his final year in the majors.
“Then he breaks his back and doesn’t do anything for us,” Chamberlain said.
“So that guy can go fly a kite.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
