Justin Louis "Joba" Chamberlain (né Heath; /ˈdʒɒbə/ JOB-ə; born September 23, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, and Cleveland Indians.
Chamberlain played college baseball for the Nebraska Cornhuskers before the Yankees selected him in the first round of the 2006 MLB draft. He ascended through the minor leagues and made his MLB debut in 2007 as a relief pitcher during the Yankees' pursuit of a berth in the MLB postseason. The Yankees adhered to what became known as the "Joba Rules", where they carefully monitored and limited his appearances. During the 2008 season, the Yankees transitioned Chamberlain to the starting rotation, and he suffered a shoulder injury later in the season. Chamberlain struggled as a starter in 2009, and was shifted back to a relief role. He signed as a free agent with the Tigers before the 2014 season, and re-signed with the Tigers for 2015, but was released during the season. He returned to MLB later in 2015 with Kansas City and pitched for Cleveland in 2016.
Chamberlain was born Justin Louis Heath on September 23, 1985. He grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska. Chamberlain's parents, Harlan Chamberlain and Jackie Standley, were never married and split up when Joba was 18 months old. Some sources say that Harlan Chamberlain obtained full custody of Joba when he was three years old, but Standley claims that Joba lived with her most of the time until he was 10 when she had his surname legally changed from Heath, her maiden name, to Chamberlain. Standley began abusing drugs when Joba was 4 or 5 and says that she and Joba speak to each other only rarely.
Chamberlain's father was born on the Winnebago Indian Reservation, but had to leave to be treated for polio. Chamberlain still has family living on Native American reservations. As of 2014, he was one of only three active non-Hispanic Native American players in Major League Baseball, with the others being Kyle Lohse of the Milwaukee Brewers and Jacoby Ellsbury of the New York Yankees.
When Chamberlain (then Justin) was a little boy, his two-year-old cousin was unable to pronounce her brother (Chamberlain's other cousin) Joshua's name correctly, pronouncing it as Joba instead, which became Chamberlain's nickname over time.
Chamberlain served as a ball boy and bat boy for Lincoln Northeast High School's state championship baseball team, and eventually graduated from Northeast. He did not jump straight to college; to help pay the bills, Joba briefly worked for the city of Lincoln's maintenance department.
Chamberlain has one son, Karter. Chamberlain made an appearance in the season 2 episode 15 episode of Man v. Food which airs on the Travel Channel. The episode was filmed in Brooklyn and featured Chamberlain coaching host Adam Richman through an eating challenge.
On October 18, 2008, at 1:00 a.m. Chamberlain was arrested near Lincoln, Nebraska for the suspicion of driving under the influence, speeding, and having an open container of alcohol in his vehicle. A Nebraska State Patrol spokesperson said Chamberlain was stopped for speeding on U.S. Route 77 near Lincoln. His arrest was captured on police video, which later aired on the "Drivers 13" episode of truTV Presents: World's Dumbest.... His arraignment was postponed four times: in December 2008, January 2009, and twice in March 2009, all by Chamberlain's request. He pleaded guilty to drunk driving and was sentenced to probation on April 1, 2009.
Chamberlain bought a $1.15 million, 4,000-square-foot (370 m2) home in Lincoln, Nebraska in 2014. Pinnacle Bank filed a notice of default on the mortgage in October 2019. A substantial amount of abandoned property was sold at auction in August 2020, including baseball cards, bobbleheads, locker room nameplates, and hundreds of household and sporting goods items. Chamberlain kept certain "high-value items," according to an anonymous person who attended the auction, including his World Series ring from the 2009 Yankees.
2007-2013 |
2014-2015 |
2015 |
2016 |