Fireballers are fast friends

Joba Chamberlain, the newest New York villain in the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry thanks to a pair of fastballs that nearly nailed Kevin Youkilis in the head, has at least one friend in the Boston clubhouse.

Sox rookie Clay Buchholz met Chamberlain in July at the All-Star Futures Game in San Francisco, a showcase for hot minor league prospects. The pair hung out there, and have kept in touch as both have made major impacts on their respective clubs after getting called up.

"Great guy," Buchholz said of Chamberlain. "Has a lot of character about himself, funny guy, fun guy to be around. It's good to see him doing as good as he is."

Chamberlain does not have the same reputation in Boston after throwing two 98-99- mile-per-hour fastballs over Youkilis's head Aug. 30, the last time these teams met before the three-game set that began last night at Fenway. The pitches, which Chamberlain claimed were unintentional, earned him a two-game suspension and a $1,000 fine from Major League Baseball.

Buchholz never asked Chamberlain whether he was trying to hit Youkilis, but said he's pretty sure it was an accident.

"From what I have heard and was talking to other guys about, I heard it wasn't anything on purpose," Buchholz said.

"It looked like it was, but sometimes the ball just comes out differently . . . He's a great guy, just maybe something happened in the midst of being out there and Red Sox and Yankees. Anything can happen, but I don't think it was anything personal."

Buchholz had his buddy's back with his teammates, too.

"I told everybody in here that I've talked to him and he's a good guy, I've met him, he's a fun guy to hang out with," Buchholz said. "I don't think anybody took it too personal, except Youk, because it was 99 at his head."

The 21-year-old Chamberlain has thrown few errant pitches since his first Yankees appearance Aug. 13. He hasn't given up an earned run in 16 big league innings, becoming a cog in the Yankees bullpen with a fastball that threatens triple digits.

"He's got a little bit more behind his fastball, but I'm all right with what I've got right now," Buchholz said.

All right is an understatement, considering that Buchholz, 23, tossed a no-hitter in his second major league start, and has a chance to make an impact from the bullpen in the postseason.

"He's doing good things for them," Chamberlain said of Buchholz. "That's good to see young guys stepping up in big situations. Second big league start throwing a no-hitter, that's pretty special."

They keep tabs on each other's progress and talk on the phone every week or so. Thus far there has been no trash-talking, instead just wishing each other luck. Chamberlain gave Buchholz a call after the no-hitter to congratulate him, and thank him for not doing it against his team.

"I said, 'I'm glad you got that one out of the way,' " Chamberlain recalled. "Hopefully, we don't get to see those no-hitters."

They won't with Buchholz in the bullpen, as he is being kept under a strict innings limit. Chamberlain, too, is under close care with the "Joba Rules" - he wasn't available to pitch last night because he had gone 1 2/3 innings two days earlier.

Even with their dual success coming on opposite ends of the Boston-New York feud, the two young pitchers haven't developed a rivalry, even a friendly one.

"It doesn't matter what uniform you got on if you're a good person," Chamberlain said. "Just kind of go out and do your thing and be happy for one another, because it's good to see a young kid be successful, no matter where he's at."

But that attitude might change in their first series squaring off.

"This might put a little bad taste in one of our mouths, this little thing that we have going [this weekend]," Buchholz said. "So it's going to be fun to watch."