Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli was ejected from Saturday’s game after arguing a sticky substance check.
After the top of the third inning, an umpire checked New York Yankees’ Domingo German, which happens at the end of every inning. However, this check was longer than usual, but German was not found guilty of any wrongdoing.
However, when German came back out for the fourth, all of the umps collectively checked on German in an extensive search. But once again, German was cleared.
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Umpire James Hoye, #92, ejects Rocco Baldelli, #5 of the Minnesota Twins, in the fourth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on April 15, 2023, in Bronx, New York. All players are wearing the #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day. (Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
However, umpire James Hoye seemed to say he “told [German] to wipe [something] off,” and German was told to wash his hands.
Baldelli came out of the Twins dugout for an explanation, but his anger grew, and he was tossed from the matinée.
German went on to strike out a career-high 11 batters in 6.1 innings of work while retiring the first 16 batters he faced in the Yanks’ 6-1 victory.
German’s spin rates were down after the extensive check, but minimally, which could have been due to a number of factors ranging from lack of substance, fatigue as the game goes on, or simply just lack of execution of pitches.
Manager Rocco Baldelli, #5 of the Minnesota Twins, talks to the Umpiring Crew during the game between the Minnesota Twins and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, April 15, 2023, in New York, New York. (Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
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Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after the game that German had too much rosin on his hands and had put some on before taking the mound, which is why the umpires told him to wash his hands.
Baldelli did not accuse German of using an illegal substance, but said German should have been ejected, since he had been told to remove the rosin after the third but still had it when he began the fourth.
Boone noted that German doesn’t often use rosin while on the mound, so when his hands felt tacky, it raised a flag for the umps. He washed his hands after going into the dugout but went back to the rosin bag before coming back out for the fourth, which Baldelli took issue with.
Umpire DJ Reyburn, #17, checks Domingo German of the New York Yankees in the fourth inning during a game against the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium on April 15, 2023, in Bronx, New York. All players are wearing the #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day. (Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
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It was the first victory for the Yanks in the four-game set after the Twins took the first two.
