The past is present

NEW YORK ? By taking one step out of the dugout, Joe Girardi became the most unpopular man in Yankee Stadium. There were two out in the seventh inning, the Yankees owned a one-run lead, and Joba Chamberlain hadn?t done anything to deserve the hook ? except that he?d thrown 107 pitches. "I didn?t want to give him the ball," Chamberlain said, and the booing crowd of 46,937 at Sunday?s Old-Timers? Day backed him. "But that?s why those guys are in the bullpen for us." With minimal interruption from the Detroit Tigers, Phil Coke, Phil Hughes and Mariano Rivera recorded the final seven outs of a 2-1 victory ? securing the Yankees ? three-game sweep, and sealing only Chamberlain?s second win in his last eight starts. The old aggression, the fist pumps, the 97-mph fastball, the big strikeouts ? everything returned to Chamberlain, who credited the All-Star break for some necessary reflection. "I was having fun, but I wasn?t being the Joba Chamberlain I should have been, and that?s not good enough," said Chamberlain, who ignored the All-Star Game, chased his three-year-old son around their Nebraska home, and thought about "having that swagger that got me here." Chamberlain (5-2) gave up just a run on three hits in 6 2/3 innings, and hadn?t lingered this deep into a start since an eight-inning victory at Cleveland on June 1. "That?s probably the best I?ve seen him all year," said Mark Teixeira, whose sixth-inning homer off starter Edwin Jackson broke a 1-1 tie. In the fourth, Alex Rodriguez?s game-tying solo homer was the 572nd of his career, leaving him one shy of tying Harmon Killebrew for ninth place on Baseball?s all-time list. Afterward, Rodriguez called his shot lucky, and called Chamberlain "one of the biggest keys to our success." This time, Chamberlain survived some early turbulence. Each of his three walks came in the first three innings, and Clete Thomas hit a homer to start the fourth. But when Curtis Granderson?s hard liner to right scooted past a charging Nick Swisher for a one-out triple in the fifth, Chamberlain showed his resolve ? and displayed something of his old Bronx flair. With the infield in, Chamberlain plunked Placido Polanco, but induced a popout to Miguel Cabrera ? who slammed his bat down in disgust. Then, cleanup hitter Marcus Thames whiffed on a 3-2 fastball up and away ? one of Chamberlain?s eight strikeouts on the day. As Chamberlain pumped his right arm, he yelled along with the hyped-up crowd. "You know you need a strikeout there," said Chamberlain, who wound up recording his first victory in the new Yankee Stadium. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Chamberlain?s nine straight winless starts at home were the worst Bronx beginning since 1990, when Andy Hawkins (10 starts) and Tim Leary (nine starts) were a combined 0-13. Chamberlain struck out five of the last six batters he faced, and had fanned the first two batters in the seventh when Girardi stepped out of the dugout and into a storm of boos. Granderson was coming up, and Coke was coming in, regardless of the situation. "It?s hard, but it?s the right thing to do," Girardi said. "We didn?t want to stretch him out too far." Chamberlain already had shown plenty. "It?s very rare to see a guy throw 91 [mph] in the first and 97 [mph] in the seventh," said A-Rod, who praised the action on all four of Chamberlain?s pitches, while Chamberlain applauded Jorge Posada?s game-calling. Girardi congratulated Chamberlain right there on the mound, patting him on the chest, and shaking his hand before taking the ball. Chamberlain received a standing ovation, and a dose of affirmation. "We all need reminders," Chamberlain said. "[The break was] probably the best four days in my life, to put everything in perspective." E-mail: caldera@northjesey.com