Domingo German’s hand was coated with something tackier than rosin, umpire James Hoye said after ejecting the New York Yankees pitcher for contravening the MLB’s rules on sticky substances.
“The instant I looked at his hand, it was extremely shiny and extremely sticky,” the crew chief told a pool reporter after the Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-3 on Tuesday night. “It’s the stickiest hand I’ve ever felt. My fingers had a hard time coming off his palm.”
German denied Hoye’s accusation, saying he did not have anything on his hand other than rosin.
Photo: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY
“It was definitely just the rosin bag,” German said through a translator. “It was sweat and the rosin bag. I don’t need any extra help to grab the baseball.”
German’s ejection, likely to trigger a 10-game suspension, was the fourth since the league started its crackdown on prohibited grip aids two years ago and the second this season. It occurred during the second game of an increasingly acrimonious series between American League East rivals.
“Not ideal, but nothing has been ideal about the start of this season,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
German retired his first nine batters when his hands were examined by first base umpire D.J. Reyburn as the pitcher headed to the mound for the bottom of the fourth. Other umpires came over along with Boone, and German was ejected by Hoye, who was working the plate.
If suspended, German cannot be replaced on the roster and the Yankees would be forced to play with 25 men instead of 26.
“I’ve got to apologize to my teammates and my team,” German said. “I’m putting them in a tough position right now.”
His fastball spin rate averaged 2,591 revolutions per minute, up from a season average of 2,527. His curveball rate was 2,711, an increase from 2,685.
Hoye’s crew examined the 30-year-old right-hander during an April 15 start against the Minnesota Twins, when German retired his first 16 batters, but allowed him to stay in that game. Hoye had asked German to wash rosin off his hand and some had remained on the pitcher’s pinkie finger.
“The reality is we should all have a very good idea what the line is,” Boone said. ”Apparently Domingo crossed it tonight.”
Aaron Judge was booed during his first two at-bats following allegations of sign stealing on Monday.
After Judge struck out in the third inning, there was a brief shouting match between Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker and Yankees third base coach Luis Rojas. Walker went to the outfield end of the dugout, yelling and gesturing at Rojas, a former New York Mets manager.
Before batting practice, Judge said he does not appreciate being branded a potential cheater after he took a sideways peek before hitting a 462-foot home run in Monday’s 7-4 win.
“I’ve got some choice words about that, but I’m just going to keep that off the record,” Judge said.
Across the diamond, Blue Jays manager John Schneider said his team spoke to the MLB about the positioning of New York’s base coaches.
“There’s boxes on the field for a reason,” Schneider said.
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