After pitching for the West Oahu CaneFires in Hawaii last winter, Chamberlain injured a hamstring during spring training and didn’t make his pro debut until May 7, when he pitched four innings for Class A Tampa at Legends Field against Daytona before a crowd of 2,920.

After signing with the Yankees in 2006, Kennedy spent the summer at Class A Staten Island and was moved to Tampa for the start of this year. Hughes, who signed out of high school in 2004, was the Yankees most-heralded prospect and began the season at Triple-A.

Hughes was the 23rd pick overall in the 2004 amateur draft and needed time in the minors to develop his breaking ball, according to Damon Oppenheimer, a Yankees senior vice president and director of scouting. Kennedy, a star at Southern California, was taken with the 21st pick of the 2006 draft. Chamberlain, projected as a high-level pick after his sophomore season in 2005, slid down to 41st.

“There was a lot of rumor out there about injury things and stuff like that, but we didn’t see it and we watched him pitch all the time,” Oppenheimer said. “He threw hard. He really had a sharp slider. He dominated the game with his stuff.”

Chamberlain made his major league debut on Aug. 7 and went 2-0 with one save, a 0.38 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 24 innings, his appearances limited by the Joba Rules — designed by the Yankees to make sure he didn’t get overworked. With a 100 mph fastball and 92 mph slider, he pumped his fists and got fans excited just when he walked on the mound.

Hughes made his first appearance April 26 and threw 6 1-3 no-hit innings at Texas five days later before hurting his hamstring. He was tentative when he returned and finished 5-3 with a 4.46 ERA — but he did go 3-0 with a 2.66 ERA in his final four starts.

Kennedy, a precision pitcher in the mode of Mike Mussina, made his debut Sept. 1 and was 1-0 with a 1.89 ERA in three starts — a promotion so unexpected that he had scheduled his wedding for this Saturday. He didn’t pitch after Sept. 13 because of a strained back muscle, but he could be back on the roster for the second round of the playoffs

Kennedy expected to be an outsider in the clubhouse but was surprised from the outset.

“When I came in here, everybody took you in,” he said.

It wasn’t too hard to gain acceptance. They contributed to the second-half surge and even took their rookie hazings in stride, when the vets had them dress up as characters from “The Wizard of Oz” for the final regular-season trip.

“They played well. That’s the biggest thing,” Yankees captain Derek Jeter said. “If you play well, you’re going to bring energy.”

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And they had each other to lean on.

“When walked into the clubhouse years ago, you sort of tiptoed in,” Torre said, “These kids seem able long before we were, and I think that goes for society, too.”

Away from the stadium, Hughes and Kennedy can still walk the streets without being recognized by all but the most hard-core fans. That’s fine with them.

“I don’t have to go with an entourage or anything,” Hughes said. “I can still do whatever I want to do and not get bothered.”

In a few weeks, that could change.

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