Joba Talks About His Spring Debut

Joba Chamberlain got roughed up today in his first outing of the spring, allowed two earned runs on two hits in one inning of work, but he's not concerned. He was pretty much only throwing fastballs - 18 of his 21 pitches were fast balls - and the main goal for him right now is to establish his fastball and build arm strength.

From George A. King III:

"Everything was good," Chamberlain said of the inning in which he gave up two runs and three hits. "We are trying to establish the fastball early. It felt good coming out of my hands."

...

"It's spring training, that's what we are here for, establishing the fastball," said Chamberlain, who might be skipped in the first tour of the rotation so CC Sabathia can start the first game at Yankee Stadium on April 16.

18 of Joba's 21 pitches today were fastballs.

According to Joe Girardi, Chamberlain's first outing was an inning shorter than the other starters because Chamberlain doesn't have a lot of experience starting.

"It's a way to build up toward the season," Girardi said.

A plan with a heavy dose of fastballs isn't just for Chamberlain.

"All our guys are trying to build arm strength," Girardi said. "We stress a lot of fastballs early. This was a step to build him up as a starter."

And Bryan Hoch had this quote from Chamberlain:

"It's just a mentality," Chamberlain said. "As a power guy, you've got to limit your pitches and try to beat them with fastballs -- not try to beat them with the other stuff."