Yankees pitcher Domingo German accused of cheating in the win over Minnesota Twins

Domingo German dominating performance against the Twins is now being accused as cheating after the pitcher used Rosin on his fingers


Yankees pitcher Domingo German accused of cheating in the win over Minnesota Twins

[Domingo German pitching. Pic Credit: NY Times]

In their 6-1 win against the Minnesota Twins on Saturday, Yankees starting pitcher Domingo German was unplayable. After a disappointing start against the Cleveland Guardians a few days ago, this was a significant turnaround. The southpaw could not get through four innings, walked five batters, and failed to register a single strikeout that day. On Saturday, he pitched 6 1/2 inning, allowed only one run, and racked up eleven strikeouts in mere 78 pitches. This performance has sparked scenes of controversy among the Twins fans and dugout.

In the game, German seemed to have something on his hand. After a lengthy discussion just before the fourth inning, the umpires ordered him to wash off whatever it was. The substance turned out to be rosin. In baseball, pitchers often use rosin powder for better gripping. It is usually applied between the finger pad and the baseball. After cleaning, German still had some rosin on his pinkie finger but was allowed to perform as it was not a foreign substance.

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Twins manager Rocco Baldelli was later ejected from the game by the umpires after he accused German of using illegal substances. He watched the remaining game from the back doors as Kyle Higashioka and Anthony Rizzo home runs helped the Yankees avoid a series sweep. A debate regarding this is likely to carry on for a while.

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German bounced back strongly after a disappointing performance last outing

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[Domingo German in discussion with umpires during the Twins game. Pic Credit: Forbes]

This Saturday’s start turned out to be German’s best start. He eased his way through the Twins’ batting lineup, striking out ten of the sixteen batters he faced. His perfect game was broken by a one-out single in the sixth inning by Christian Vazquez. He would exit the inning shortly after picking up his career-high eleventh game strikeout. He gave up only one run in three hits and did not walk a single batter this time that eventually saw a fall in his scores around major sports trading apps in US

The controversy sparked after the third inning when his pitch spin rates increased. German had already picked up six strikeouts by then. A huge conversation between the four umpires, Yankees manager Boone and German’s Spanish translator occurred sometime later. It was not a foreign substance affecting the pitch, as per umpires. After the discussion, umpire Hoye tried to explain Baldelli, who did not buy a single bit off it.

It was evident in the press conference after the match that the Twins manager was unhappy with umpiring and pitching. The decision of the umpire to allow German to continue despite the warning given to him. He probably exchanged a few words with the umpire, which the latter did not like, and removed him from the game.

German was signed as an international free agent by the then-Florida Marlins in 2009. He was traded to the Yankees in 2014 and made his major league debut in 2017. The Dominican international has a 27-22 major league record with a 4.36 ERA and 448 strikeouts. German is soon likely to be joined by Carlos Rendon in the Yankees’ star-studded pitching rotation.

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