The New York Yankees fought back after two-straight losses against Minnesota Twins on Saturday night, but it was alleged that their pitcher may have been assisted during their 6-1 win.
Domingo German secured 11 strikeouts against the Twins in 6.1 innings pitched, but was told to wash his hands during the game after excessive rosin was spotted. German had already been told to lower the amount of rosin he was using earlier in the match, but was then told to remove the substance after ignoring instructions.
Rosin is allowed in Major League Baseball, but it has to be used moderately in order to not enhance performance too highly. But German expressed that he didn't push the boundaries too far, despite a complaint from Twins manager Rocco Baldelli.
The substance can increase spin rate and pitch quality, especially if used generously by the pitchers. Usually, pitchers have a bag of rosin on their mound, but German prefers to apply it before heading out.
This clearly upset Baldelli, as he was concerned about how much was being used due to it being done in the team dugout. "[German] didn’t fully comply, I would say, with the warning from what I was told, and was still allowed to keep pitching," Baldelli said.
"I just don’t agree with that in principle. I do appreciate the courtesy that pitchers around the league will get when the umpires ask them to remove some of that rosin from their hand.
"I would expect all teams and all players to get that courtesy and they have and, overall, I think the umpires have done a good job of that." German was asked to remove some of the rosin before later being told to wash his hands completely, which added to Baldelli's frustration.
In defence of German, he requires a translator and his language implications may have led to an honest mistake. And the pitcher explained himself after being asked about the incident by reporters.
"When I went back out, the discussion was intense," German said, via an interpreter. "But I was able to explain that I have a rosin bag that’s in the area of the dugout, where I sit all the time, and he was able to talk that over and understand."
The Yankees are now 9-6 for the season while the Twins are slightly ahead on 10-5. The Yankees are expected to be in the mix at the end of the season, especially with Aaron Judge continuing on from his stunning 2022 campaign.
