NEW YORK (AP) -If Joba Chamberlain has any plans to retaliate against Aubrey Huff, the New York Yankees pitcher kept them to himself Wednesday.
Chamberlain is scheduled to start Thursday night, his first game against the Baltimore Orioles since Huff mocked him with two exaggerated fist pumps following a three-run homer off the right-hander on May 10.
“Still haven’t seen it. It really doesn’t matter to me, either,” Chamberlain said Wednesday. “He does his job and he does what he has to do. So, we talk in between the lines and that’s how we do it.”
The 23-year-old Chamberlain has angered opponents with his enthusiastic fist pumps and fired-up screams following inning-ending strikeouts. As a rookie reliever in 2007, that’s how he reacted after fanning Huff on one occasion – and the Baltimore slugger took notice.
, then did it again with even more gusto after he crossed the plate. It was a rare show of emotion by the 32-year-old, who is usually far more reserved after hitting a home run – especially in the first inning.
“The actual first one was just for emotion, really. Then the other one was for fun,” Huff said Wednesday. “I’m not upset at all. I just think it’s all about how your personality is. I’m kind of a jokester guy. I’ve always been known around the league as the team clown. I don’t know how he took it at all. Hopefully he didn’t take it too bad.”
The hard-throwing Chamberlain has never shied away from going up and in – he was suspended for two games and fined $1,000 in 2007 for throwing consecutive 98-99 mph pitches over the head of Boston’s Kevin Youkilis. But Huff isn’t expecting any sort of retaliation on Thursday.
“I would certainly hope it’s put to bed,” Huff said. “I mean, as far as I’m concerned that was just something that I did just to try and have fun with the whole situation. I mean, I didn’t do anything that he hasn’t done when he’s out there.
“He had gotten me early in my career when he was a young guy coming up. And I just thought, man, if I ever get him I’m going to give him one of those, too, just for fun.”
Now, Huff can’t believe how much attention his antics have received.
a first pump. We’re talking about a fist pump! You know? What was it Allen Iverson said? `This is practice?’ This is a fist pump, guys. We’re talking about a fist pump!” Huff said. “It has nothing to do with the game. I’ll tell you, I’d like to think that I’ve had a pretty good career in nine years and nobody ever talks about it. I do one fist pump to a Yankee and it’s like I’m a national celebrity. It’s crazy. I’ve never had so much pub over something so silly.
“I got a lot of calls, but I never had my phone blow up so much,” he added. “I had texts from around the league, guys laughing at it, joking about it, family members. Gosh, I had no idea I’d get this many reactions.”
Add A Comment