Umps allow Germán to stick around for Yankees
Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli was convinced Domingo Germán violated baseball’s cleanhands doctrine. So just before the start of the fourth inning Saturday in New York, Germán found an umpire addressing him sternly, inches from his face, the Yankees pitcher accused of having excessive sticky substance on his pitching hand and the Twins demanding his ejection.
“It was intense. There was a moment there where maybe I felt that things were going to get out [of ] hand,” Germán said via interpreter.
After a 5½-minute interruption for inspection, discussion, and Baldelli’s ejection, Germán was allowed to stay in the game. He retired his first 16 batters, struck out a career-high 11 over 6‚ innings, and helped New York to a 6-1 win that stopped the Twins’ four-game winning streak. Germán had rosin on his hand, was asked by crew chief James Hoye to wash it and allowed some to remain on a pinkie.
“He was warned. He didn’t fully comply I would say with the warning from what I was told,” Baldelli said. “When he returned and it was still on there partially, on part of his hand, I didn’t think there was really any question he should be removed from the game.”
Kyle Higashioka and Anthony Rizzo homered early to build a three-run lead and Giancarlo Stanton had a two-run double for the Yankees, who rebounded from consecutive losses.
Major League Baseball began a crackdown on banned grip aides in June 2021 and last month called for heightened checks. Just two pitchers have been ejected and suspended for foreign substances: Seattle’s Héctor Santiago and Arizona’s
Caleb Smith, both in 2021.
During the now-routine checks, the righthander was first told by Hoye in the middle of the third to remove rosin.
“It was basically wash your hands,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
The Twins’ Carlos Correa went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts, ending his streak of home runs in four straight games at Yankee Stadium.
Boone was unsure whether third baseman
Josh Donaldson (right hamstring) will be activated Sunday or sent on a rehab assignment.
Blue Jays hand Rays another loss
Yusei Kikuchi struck out nine over six innings,
Danny Jansen had two hits and an RBI, and the Blue Jays beat the Rays, 5-2, in Toronto.
Alejandro Kirk reached base four times, scored once, and drove in a run as the Blue Jays made it two straight over the Rays, who arrived in Toronto having matched a modern record by winning the first 13 games of the season. Toronto has prevailed in four straight meetings with the Rays dating to last season.
Taylor Walls homered for the Rays, who have connected at least once in all 15 games this season. Only the Mariners (20 games in 2019) have begun a season with a longer streak.
Kikuchi (2-0) allowed one run and four hits, improving to 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA in six career games against Tampa Bay. The lefthander walked one and retired the final eight batters he faced.
Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano loaded the bases in the ninth but struck out Yandy Díaz and recovered after being hit by Wander Franco’s comebacker to get the out at first, earning his league-leading sixth save. X-rays taken of Romano’s rib cage/chest did not reveal a fracture.
In his first career start, the Rays’ Calvin Faucher allowed one run and two hits in 2„ innings.
White Sox edge Orioles in 10th
Yasmani Grandal tied the game in Chicago in the 10th inning with a bloop RBI double and
Óscar Colás followed with an RBI single to give the White Sox a 7-6 win over the Orioles. Reliever
Jimmy Lambert (1-0) picked up the win, despite allowing an unearned run in the ninth.
Baltimore scored in the top of the 10th, with
Jorge Mateo leading off with a sacrifice bunt to move Terin Vavra to third and Adley Rutschman beating out a potential double play to score Vavra.
Orioles starter Kyle Gibson allowed four runs on seven hits in 5‚ innings.
Baltimore’s Ramón Urías left the game after being struck in the helmet in the seventh by a pitch from Chicago reliever Kendall Graveman. Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Urias entered concussion protocol.
Brewers reliever Varland struck
Brewers reliever Gus Varland was hit on the jaw with a 105.1-mile-per-hour line drive off the bat of the Padres’ Manny Machado in San Diego. The scary moment came in the eighth inning of the Padres’ 10-3 win, and Varland came out of the game. The ball caromed to shortstop Willy Adames, who threw out Machado. X-rays were negative and the rookie said he was OK . . . Starter
Jon Gray left the Rangers’ 8-2 loss to the Astros in Houston in the third inning after being hit on his throwing elbow by a Yainer Diaz line drive.
Clutch performances by ex-MVPs
A pair of veteran former MVPs came through in big spots in extra innings. Andrew McCutchen homered in St. Louis to lead off the 10th on a full count to lift the Pirates to a 6-3 win over the Cardinals. In Detroit, pinch hitter Miguel Cabrera’s walkoff single in the 11th capped the Tigers’ rally from a five-run deficit to beat the Giants, 7-6.