NEW YORK – Domingo German was cheered on by Yankee fans on his return from the suspension of domestic violence, but battled the Toronto Blue Jays, allowing three runs in three innings on Sunday.
The 28-year-old German had not played since September 18, 2019, due to a ban on 81 games in accordance with Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy. He was placed on administrative leave on September 19, 2019, while MLB was investigating alleged domestic violence involving his girlfriend, with whom he has at least one child.
He was applauded by fans in the right field after coming out of the pit for warm-ups about 35 minutes before the first step – German showed up and recognized them as he sprinted. He received several cheers from the crowd of about 10,000 after completing a first half with 12 steps.
The right side allowed a solo homer to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and a two-round shot to Randal Grichuk in the second, repeatedly leaving the ball in the attacking zone on an afternoon with a temperature of 59 degrees at the time of the game. He needed 34 pitches to get out of the half.
He worked through 22 more pitches in the third, but escaped unscathed and was replaced by Michael King to start the fourth. King threw six innings without a score, but the Yankees fell to the Blue Jays 3-1.
The German (0-1) was charged with four shots, a walk and a wild pitch while hitting two. He took the loss.
He returned to the team this spring after leaving for the entire 2020 season. He participated in mandatory counseling while he was away and said he benefited.
German publicly apologized for the incident at the beginning of the camp, but declined to discuss the events that led to his suspension. He also addressed teammates in group and individual settings.
The Yankees welcomed his return – but with some caution.
“We have his back,” slugger Luke Voit said in February. – But he skates on thin ice.
The German was a taxpayer who succeeded before his ban in 2019, reaching 18-4 with an ERA 4.03. On the field, he took the place where he remained this spring, blocking the 3rd place in the New York rotation, allowing two runs in 13 innings. He broke out 17 and went on one of four spring training starts, but on Sunday he missed that sharp command.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone was not sure how New York fans would greet the German and said the team did not talk to him. Either way, he expected the German to take the plunge.
“Obviously, through what he’s been through, there will probably be some polarizing reactions sometimes and you have to deal with that,” Boone said. – And he will.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.