Twins manager Rocco Baldelli enraged after Domingo German allowed to remain in game
Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli was involved in a heated exchange with umpires in Saturday's game versus the New York Yankees.
The disagreement was due to what Baldelli believed was an excess amount of rosin used by Domingo German. Baldelli was furious with the umpiring team after they allowed the pitcher to remain on the field after an extended check. The Yankees starter was warned after the third inning and was allowed to continue pitching in the fourth.
“I’m gonna be very brief”
Here’s an eight minute video of Rocco Baldelli explaining why he thinks umpires handled the Domingo German situation incorrectly today: https://t.co/IYVIEDYMwo
"'I’m gonna be very brief' Here’s an eight minute video of Rocco Baldelli explaining why he thinks umpires handled the Domingo German situation incorrectly today:" - Talkin' Yanks
Rocco Baldelli is no stranger to ejections. This is the twelvth time he has been thrown out of a game in just his fifth season as a manager. He was tossed a career-high five times in 2022.
Aaron Boone stood up for his player, saying only that the amount of rosin raised a flag from the umpires. Per an ESPN article, Boone added:
"It was basically wash your hands."
Rosin powder is used as a grip-enchancing agent for pitchers. It is allowed in the MLB as long as it is not used in the glove or uniform of the player. German insisted he only used rosin in the dugout.
Domingo German recorded his first win of the season against the Rocco Baldelli's Minnesota Twins
Baldelli may have been frustrated by the fact that Domingo German was having the best night of his season.
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli did not claim that German was using an illegal substance. His beef was that German was told after the third to remove excess rosin, did not when he returned for the 4th and, thus, should have been ejected.
"Twins manager Rocco Baldelli did not claim that German was using an illegal substance. His beef was that German was told after the third to remove excess rosin, did not when he returned for the 4th and, thus, should have been ejected." - Joel Sherman
The New York Yankees starter completed 6.1 innings, allowing just one run off three hits. He need just 78 pitches on the night and struck out 11 Twins hitters. German recorded his first win of the season. He also lowered his ERA from 5.87 to 3.86 after the outing.
The loss is the Twins' first in five games. It drops Minnesota to 10-5, just one game ahead of the Cleveland Guardians. Baldelli will look to bounce back on Sunday when his team returns to Yankee Stadium for their final game.