Twins Manager Ejected After Yankees Pitcher Domingo German Told to Wash Hands During Sticky Substance Check

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli was not happy with New York Yankees pitcher Domingo German during Saturday's game.

The Yankees won easily, riding a dominant start from German to a 6-1 win.

But that wasn't what made Baldelli so upset.

German began the game with three perfect innings, receiving substance checks along the way, as usual.

What wasn't so usual is that he was clearly instructed to wash his hands after the end of the third inning. After the fourth inning though, the situation escalated a bit more.

Umpires appeared to say that he hadn't complied, with one saying, "I told you to wipe it off."

There was a fairly lengthy exchange between umpires, German and Yankees manager Aaron Boone.

German avoided any further punishment, which led Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli to race out demanding an explanation.

And after complaining about the lack of enforcement, Baldelli was, unsurprisingly, ejected from the game.

BRONX, NEW YORK - APRIL 15: 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. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

Baldelli Explains His Issue With German and Eventual Ejection

After the game, it was revealed that Domingo German was not using an illegal substance, but had an excess of rosin.

Rosin is approved by Major League Baseball for use in games by pitchers, but umpires apparently believed German had too much on his hands.

Baldelli told reporters that he had no objection to the Yankees starter using rosin, but was not happy with the lack of enforcement.

“Obviously, everyone that was watching the game could see the same thing we were seeing,” Baldelli explained after the loss. “Their pitcher was warned or asked to clean his hand off of the rosin that was on his hand because sometimes if you do use rosin, it can get especially tacky. He was warned, he didn’t fully comply I would say with the warning from what I was told, and was still allowed to keep pitching. I just don’t agree with that in principle.”

In Baldelli's defense, that seems like an extremely justifiable complaint. He repeated that he was fine with German getting a warning, but that the Yankees pitcher should have been ejected after not complying.

Even though it wasn't technically an illegal substance, the fact that umpires told him to wash it off indicates it far exceeded normal usage.

Pitchers are always looking for ways to increase spin rates after MLB's crackdown on sticky substances. German clearly went too far on Saturday, and it's absurd that Baldelli was ejected for pointing out the lack of compliance.

If MLB's going to make it a point of emphasis to stop pitchers from gaining unfair advantages, they need to actually enforce their own rules. Not punish managers for noticing.

German stayed in the game and finished 6 1/3 innings with no walks and 11 K's. Now we know why he was so unhittable.