Domingo German addressed the media for the first time on Wednesday since being put on the restricted list in September of 2019, when a domestic violence incident led to an 81-game suspension.
German apologized for the events that occurred in 2019 during a charity event hosted by former teammate CC Sabathia, but declined to go into details regarding what occurred between himself and his partner.
“I don’t think I want to get into the fine details of what happened that night,” German said through his interpreter during Wednesday’s Zoom call with reporters. “I can say my family and I went through a really tough moment. I understand you have to ask, but at this moment, I don’t think it’s the best moment for me to give out all the details.”
German revealed that he and his partner are still together after she was the victim of domestic violence, and that he is working to improve their relationship through his actions.
“Lots of conversations between her and I, we talked about it a lot many times,” German said. “We promised each other not to go through something like this ever again. This was the first time something like this happened, and I think that has been the best way for us to get through all this and to be in a safe environment is communicating and understanding each other in a better way.”
German reported to Yankee camp last week, marking the first time he was back with the team since before he was placed on the restricted list in 2019. Teammate Zack Britton spoke to the media when pitchers and catchers first arrived at camp, saying in regards to German, “You can’t pick your teammates.” German said he and Britton were able to talk since Britton made those comments.
“I did see his comments,” German said. “He has a right to do that. I understood where he was coming from. The good thing is I had the opportunity to talk to him and he basically gave me good advice in how I can improve, and at the same time his comments that he made weren’t to be taken personal…he gave me good advice, which I’m thankful for.”
German has also addressed the team as a whole, something manager Aaron Boone said wasn’t in the team’s plans when German first arrived, but the 28-year-old did wind up speaking to the Yankees as a group and apologizing for his actions.
“I was nervous to get in front of the whole team and to speak to them and apologize,” German said. “I never went through something like that…standing in front of a room and having to apologize for something I caused. I think I slowly started feeling comfortable standing there and talking to them.”
German, even after reporting to camp, caused more uncertainty regarding his baseball future when he posted a cryptic message on his Instagram with the caption “Everything is over” in Spanish. German, who had already posted a similar message in 2020, deleted the post and replaced it with a photo of himself and Aaron Boone, stating “I’m ready.”
“When I got back home, back to my room, what I wanted to express was that after finally completing a day with the team, I felt like I was finally back and moving forward,” German said of his “Everything is over” post. “And the whole period of being suspended and away from the team, all that had ended. It was more of a message toward my partner…I was kind of dedicating the message to her, and all this time she was there with me through all the ups and downs. It was kind of like in a way a thank you message to her, and finding a way to create a new beginning in 2021, and I think that’s where the confusion happened.”
German said he underwent mandatory counseling and rehabilitation as part of MLB’s domestic violence policy, and believes it will be helpful in his efforts to move forward and resurrect his baseball career.
“It’s going to be through my actions,” German said. “And the way I behave and move forward through all of this.”
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