Ex-Yankee Joba Chamberlain Reveals That He Really Disliked This Red Sox Player
Former New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain added a new, spicy detail to the Yankees-Boston Red Sox rivalry this week.
Appearing as a guest on The Eddie Mata Show, Chamberlain revealed that there was one Red Sox player he particularly disliked, and the ironic thing is, Chamberlain continued to dislike this player even once the player joined the Yankees and became Chamberlain’s teammate.
“You don’t have to call out anybody, but … were there any guys that you didn’t get along with (in your career)?” Mata asked Chamberlain.
“Kevin Youkilis,” Chamberlain replied, without hesitation.
“He ended up being my teammate, too, but … I just didn’t like him. … I called him lik right when he signed (with the Yankees) and he ignored me, ignored me, ignored me, and then he gets to Spring Training, and wants to be all buddy buddy.”
“And then he breaks his back and doesn’t do anything for us, so that guy can go fly a kite,” Chamberlain added.
Youkilis signed with the Yankees ahead of the 2013 season, but he only ended up playing 28 games due to multiple injuries. This was Youkilis’s last year in MLB.
Chamberlain’s attempt to smooth things over with Youkilis has been documented, as has certain Yankees players and fans beyond Chamberlain being at odds with Youkilis from his Red Sox days, although it’s notable that Alex Rodríguez and Robinson Cano (both Yankees at the time of Youkilis signing with New York), publicly endorsed the move.
Chamberlain had an up-and-down MLB career. He was a first-round pick by the Yankees, and his MLB entrance was electic, yielding a 0.38 ERA over 19 relief outings. Transitioning to the rotation in 2008, injuries derailed his trajectory, including Tommy John surgery in 2009.
Traded to Detroit in 2013, Joba logged solid bullpen stints with the Tigers, Royals, and Cleveland Indians through 2016, amassing 546 career strikeouts across 388 appearances. Post-retirement, Chamberlain has embraced coaching and broadcasting.