The tumultuous 2012 season of Joba Chamberlain extended into the postseason on Thursday night, when the barrel end of a broken bat went flying toward the mound and caught him squarely on the right elbow. Initial X-rays on Chamberlain's right arm and elbow were negative.
Matt Wieters led off the 12th inning with a broken-bat bloop single down the left field line, but the real damage was the injury to Chamberlain. An animated gif of the shards flying at Chamberlain:
The Yankee reliever was down on the infield being tended to for a significant amount of time, before getting up to throw a few practice pitches and test his throwing elbow. After a couple of tosses, he walked off the diamond and Joe Girardi made the call for David Phelps.
It was a big blow for the New York bullpen, forcing Girardi to use his fifth reliever in a game that was knotted at 1-1. The good news for Yankees fans is that the X-rays are negative, but it's still unclear what his status will be going forward.