Domingo German smashed TV, confronted Yankees’ Aaron Boone in clubhouse outburst before seeking alcohol treatment
Pitcher Domingo German “grew belligerent” in the clubhouse Tuesday and got into confrontations with members of the Yankees — even flipping over a couch and smashing a TV — before seeking treatment for alcohol abuse, according to reports.
The Wall Street Journal reported that German, who appeared to be intoxicated, had “confrontations” with teammates and manager Aaron Boone.
He was placed on the restricted list Wednesday by the Yankees after voluntarily submitting to inpatient treatment.
During the incident, the pitcher reportedly flipped over a couch and smashed a TV, and was held in a sauna as the team tried to get him to sweat out the alcohol.
He was then placed in a team nap room as team security watched over him, but it’s uncertain when he left Yankee Stadium.
According to SNY, “Witnesses determined that German was under the influence of alcohol and did not appear in control of his emotions.”
“I’m not commenting on anything in regard to what did or didn’t happen with Domingo,” Boone said after the Yankees’ 4-3 win over the hated Astros in The Bronx. “Right now, he’s in a place where hopefully he’s getting the proper help and gets on the right path.”
German was suspended for 81 games between 2019 and 2020 for an alleged domestic violence incident.
He is currently not under investigation by MLB for domestic violence, according to SNY, and this was a matter the Yankees handled internally.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told reporters on Wednesday that he expects German — who pitched a perfect game in late June — to miss the rest of the season.
“It’s a very serious issue that affects way too many people, unfortunately,” Cashman said before the Yankees’ 7-2 win over the Rays.
“Hopefully, the steps that are being taken today will really benefit him for the remaining part of his life because it’s a very serious problem that you need to address head-on. These treatment places are significant steps, hopefully, towards helping him get the tools to solve it.”
Cashman also said the alcohol issue was completely separate from German getting scratched from his scheduled start on Monday with armpit discomfort. He ended up pitching in relief in that game, and performed well, tossing five shutout innings of two-hit ball in a loss to the Rays.
Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole offered his support for the troubled German.
“It’s been tough,” Cole said. “It just affects you as a human being. You care about your teammates, and you care about your teammates’ families. It’s a sad situation, and you want the best for Domingo.”
The Yankees improved to 57-52 Thursday night and moved to within 2 ¹/₂ games of the Blue Jays for the final American League wild-card spot.
Nestor Cortes is scheduled to take German’s spot in the rotation on Saturday against the Astros. Cortes was initially supposed to make a third rehab start on Wednesday night at Triple-A. The left-hander has been out since May 30 with a left rotator cuff strain.
