Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain left the team after his father collapsed at home in Nebraska, and the pitcher was placed on the bereavement list.

Harlan Chamberlain was hospitalized yesterday at St. Elizabeth Regional Medical Center in Lincoln. Hospital spokeswoman Jo Miller said the family requested no further information be released.

“He is currently in critical but stable condition,” Joba Chamberlain said in a statement released by the team. “I also want to thank my teammates and my manager for giving me so much support when I have needed it most. Their actions are the reason I was able to reach my father’s side as quickly as I did.”

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Joba Chamberlain’s sister called and left the pitcher a phone message during New York’s 8–5 loss at Boston on Sunday night. The Daily News said the reliever spoke with his sister after the game and broke into tears, and Girardi tried to console him.

“I talked to him last night and this morning,” Girardi said before last night’s game against Tampa Bay. “His father is still going through tests. “I don’t think they’ll know everything they need to know for a couple days.”

Girardi doesn’t expect Chamberlain to rejoin the team for at least a few days.

“Family comes first,” Girardi said.

Chamberlain, the Yankees’ primary setup man, traveled with the team to Florida, where New York started a series against the Rays Monday. Chamberlain then left for Nebraska, teammate Phil Hughes said.

“He was a little shaken up at first,” Hughes said. “When we got here, he was fine.”

Harlan Chamberlain had polio when he was 9 months old and uses a motorized scooter.