Watching Braves games as a child in Nebraska made Joba Chamberlain appreciate John Smoltz, one of the best big league pitchers to stand on a mound. Now, Smoltz is an analyst for MLB Network. He is already making an impact, even if no cameras are rolling.
Prior to Tuesday evening's 6-4 Yankees win over the Red Sox, in which Chamberlain struck out back-to-back batters in rather electric fashion, the right-handed reliever saw Smoltz loitering around the visitors' clubhouse. Approaching his childhood hero, the chatty Chamberlain struck up a conversation.
Over the next 15 minutes, the two spoke about fastballs and sliders, starting games and relieving. Chamberlain hardly could have chosen a better mentor -- Smoltz's 21 seasons in the big leagues included 12 as a starter, four as a lights-out closer, then another five as a starter.
Smoltz knows a thing or two -- or three or four -- about Chamberlain's situation. His advice, now that Chamberlain is a reliever once more? Simple. Trust your stuff.
"That really clicked," Chamberlain said. "That made sense. This is a one-inning game, and you have to understand that."
"If I don't take from what that guy told me, I probably won't listen to anybody," Chamberlain said. "For a man to take that time to try to help me and try to make me better as an individual was pretty cool for me."There's few pitchers in the history of the game who handled both starting and relieving as well a Smoltz did, so I guess the advice couldn't have come from a better source. It appears to have done something, because just a few hours after Smoltz told Joba to consider relief appearances as one-inning games and to trust his stuff, he goes out and throws the ball better than he has in a long time. I'm sure he's been told these things before, but when your "childhood here" says it I guess it makes a bigger impact.
Thank you, John!
