Joba rules

Really, he does.

Rules may be made to be broken, but it seemed there was no chance Joba Chamberlain would pitch yesterday against the Toronto Blue Jays.

For starters, Manager Joe Torre indicated before the game that Chamberlain was not available. Also, Chamberlain had thrown two innings Friday. According to the rules formulated by the Yankees, he would not pitch the next two days.

But with two outs in the eighth inning yesterday, Chamberlain emerged from the bullpen at Yankee Stadium. And just like that, one of the Joba Rules came tumbling down. A capacity crowd howled in delight.

Chamberlain ended the Blue Jays’ rally with a five-pitch strikeout and returned to toss a perfect ninth inning for his first major league save as the Yankees beat the Blue Jays, 7-5.

On top of all that, it was his 22nd birthday.

“It’s all fun,” Chamberlain said. “It’s all new experiences, every time I get out there.”

It has been one weird, great season this year, and Joba Chamberlain has certainly been one of the great highlights. When he got up to warm up yesterday it turned the electricity up in the Stadium...he's a genuinely exciting pitcher. Using him yesterday with two runners on, it almost felt like Joe Torre was trying to recapture the mojo of 1996, when a youngster named Mariano Rivera became the set-up guy for John Wettland. It's certainly clear how Torre intends to use him in October.

If the Yankees are able to rally to overcome a two-run early deficit this afternoon, their magic number against the Tigers will be one, and the Yankees will trail the Red Sox by a game. Winning the division would be sweet, but the Wild Card is just fine and if it means coasting for the remainder and letting Jeter, Rodriguez, Posada, and Damon get some days to heal up, all the better.

Make that a three-run deficit. Pettitt is getting knocked around this afternoon.

UPDATE: Boston fans won't be feeling quit so sweaty this evening as the Yankees fall another half game behind (two more losses than the Sox) and the magic number for clinching the WC remains at two.