TORONTO – Domingo German might have been baffled by his ejection Tuesday for a sticky substance on his pitching hand, but two things were abundantly clear.
“It’s the stickiest hand I’ve ever felt,” said umpire crew chief James Hoye, telling a pool reporter that “it was definitely not rosin,” despite German’s claims.
And the Yankees are in deeper trouble as a pitching staff, with German facing an automatic 10-game suspension.
“That’s Domingo’s responsibility,” manager Aaron Boone said of German’s use of, well, whatever he’s applying to his pitching hand during a start.
“The reality is, we should all have a very good idea what the line is and apparently Domingo crossed it.”
And for the second straight night, the Yankees became steeped in a controversy against the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
After three perfect innings Tuesday, the right-handed German was ejected following a routine inspection of his pitching hand.
Yet, in another test of the Yankees’ resolve, a wearying bullpen – and another clutch, go-ahead home run by Aaron Judge – sent them toward a 6-3 victory against the tough Toronto Blue Jays.
“Just another gutsy effort by that group out there that keeps competing,” said Boone.
Anatomy of another Yankees controversy
At least, the Yankees should have Luis Severino back in their rotation Sunday at Cincinnati.
Sidelined since spring training due to a lat strain, Severino made his second minor league rehab stint Tuesday, going 3.1 innings (58 pitches, two runs, six hits, one walk, three strikeouts) for Class AA Somerset.
That determination should be made Wednesday, when German – barring appeal – would begin his suspension.
“I’ve got to apologize to my teammates,” German said through an interpreter. “I’m putting them in a tough position right now, and how much the bullpen is being used.”
It was Hoye’s crew that warned German of excess use of rosin, April 15, in a game at Yankee Stadium against the Minnesota Twins.
At that time, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli felt that German should have been ejected since the umpires told him to clean off the excess rosin and he came back out with some sticky substance still on part of his hand.
German, through an interpreter, said it was because he works the rosin bag between innings, in the dugout.
Mindful of that, with Hoye’s umpiring crew Tuesday, German only used the sandy rosin bag exclusively and he only used it on the mound, not in the dugout.
Domingo German disputes umpires’ claims
First base ump DJ Reyburn checked…