Domingo German, for the second time this season, was involved in a sticky substance controversy, only this time, the same umpiring crew that grilled him the first time ejected him from Tuesday night’s game.
The crew, via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, said German’s hand was “the worst we’ve ever felt during a game.”
“It's not rosin,” crew chief James Hoye said, via Hoch. “It was not rosin. It was definitely not rosin. Because I've felt hands with rosin. That wasn't rosin. It was extremely sticky. And rosin usually is kind of like a little tackiness. This was sticky, as in my fingers had a hard time coming off his palm.”
After the game, German still maintained that he was only using rosin, and was simply following that umpiring crew’s directives from the last time they nearly threw him out.
“Just a rosin bag,” German said, via his interpreter. “There’s two kind of rosin bags. You have a rock one and a sand one. I use the sand one. A couple games ago, they mentioned I wasn’t using it enough on the mound. Tonight, I was using it on the mound, and that’s it. A lot of usage.
“I don’t want this to happy again. I follow the instructions, and I’m not using it enough. Now, it’s too much…summer is coming, we’re gonna be sweating out there, you need the grip. But you also want clear direction to see what’s appropriate and what’s too much.”
German will now serve a 10-game suspension, like Max Scherzer after he was ejected in Los Angeles. Luis Severino is near a return, but with the rotation already struggling with depth due to injuries, German’s absence will be a trying hurdle for New York.
“I have to apologize to my teammates and my team,” German said. “I’m putting them in a tough position now, understanding how much the bullpen has been used…putting them in a tough situation where I’m not pitching anymore.”
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