The midges have followed Joba Chamberlain around his entire career.
They swarmed him and the New York Yankees in the 2007 American League Division Series at then-Jacobs Field, leading to a 2-1 Indians victory in Game 2 of that series. And the story still surrounds him.
It was one of the most bizarre things that could happen during a baseball game, particularly in the postseason with so much on the line. And it was as bad as it seemed.
“I came up and Hideki Matsui was warming up as DH and he kind of patted me on the back and bugs kind of flew everywhere,” Chamberlain said. “I was like, ‘Man, that really was a lot.’ And as I’m taking a shower, I’m wiping them out of my eyes and stuff. I finally realized it was a lot worse than I thought.”
He, of course, still talks about it to this day. So does everyone around him. His 9-year-old son, Karter, brings it up. Even Karter’s friends talk about it almost as if they were there.
It was one of the main things he and Karter talked about when discussing Cleveland.
“[Karter] was just like, ‘Dad, I hope that doesn’t happen again,’ and I was like, ‘Dude, that makes two of us,’ ” Chamberlain said. “I guess everything comes full circle. As long as they don’t send the bugs out, I’ll be all right.”
His son is his sounding board when debating decisions, like where to play, for example. Everything requires Karter signing off on it, his signing with the Indians included.
“Every time I sign somewhere, he is the first person I talk to because he gives me the most unbiased talk I’ll ever have in my life because he thinks about things I don’t think about,” Chamberlain said. “With him, it’s the [most real] conversation I’ll ever have. … Part of us being successful is our family. It’s a huge part. My son knows the bugs and he knows that situation, too. He has fun with it.”
Regaining form
Chamberlain, 30, has come a long way from the hard-throwing, hot-shot rookie and possible heir apparent to Marino Rivera. He was with the Yankees through 2013 and has spent the past two seasons in the AL Central, primarily with the Detroit Tigers, trying to stabilize his career and regain some of the form he’d flashed as a back-end relief pitcher.
Now, he’s in Goodyear, Ariz., as one of many nonroster invitation pitchers vying for a spot in the Indians’ bullpen.
“To be able to have been around a long time and to look back on 2007, I was a 22-year-old kid trying to figure out what the heck I was doing,” he said. “It all goes by so fast. Now, to have been in that park for my entire career, and every year to be able to pitch there has been cool.”
That park could be his baseball home this season if he can turn his spring invitation into a roster spot.
Perhaps as much as any of the many pitchers in that competition in the bullpen, Chamberlain might have a good shot to make the Opening Day roster because of his pedigree and familiarity with the division, particularly with free-agent acquisition Tommy Hunter expected to be out until mid-May and an additional slot being available.
Last season Chamberlain had a 4.09 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 22 innings with the Tigers. The year before, he sported a 3.57 ERA with 59 strikeouts in 63 innings. And for now, he doesn’t mind his nonroster invitation label.
“It doesn’t matter if you have a roster spot or not. You still have to go out and prove yourself,” Chamberlain said. “That’s the way I approach anything. To be in that situation, you’re obviously going out every time to try to prove yourself.”
Prior recruitment
Chamberlain was pleased to have Jason Giambi, a former teammate, in camp as a guest instructor. Chamberlain called him one of his best friends in baseball. Giambi revealed that he tried to recruit Chamberlain to the Indians before he joined the Tigers prior to 2014.
“I kept trying to steal him before he went to Detroit to tell him to come over here,” Giambi said. “I think he’s going to be a huge pickup. This is a great place for him to be to really get his career back on track, to be who he is, because he can be dominating.”
Chamberlain will also be pleased to never see those midges again when he’s on the mound.
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at www.ohio.com/indians. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RyanLewisABJ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RyanLewisABJ.