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Twins’ Rocco Baldelli Blasts Umpires for Controversy With Yankees’ Domingo German

Minnesota’s manager wasn’t happy after he was tossed in the team’s loss to New York.

Jelani Scott

Twins’ Rocco Baldelli Blasts Umpires for Controversy With Yankees’ Domingo German
Twins’ Rocco Baldelli Blasts Umpires for Controversy With Yankees’ Domingo German /
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Twins manager Rocco Baldelli voiced his frustration with the umpiring crew following Saturday’s road loss to the Yankees after he was controversially ejected for protesting the handling of two sticky substance checks involving New York pitcher Domingo Germán. 

Baldelli explained to reporters he was “upset” with the fact that Germán, who, in the midst of pitching a no-hitter, was allowed to stay in the game after being warned for excess rosin twice in between the third and fourth innings. Baldelli, who was ejected after angrily arguing the decision, then proceeded to blast the umpires for not removing Germán from the game after he didn’t properly clean his hands despite the increased focus on managing the use of rosin around the league.

“[Germán] 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,” Baldelli said. “I do appreciate the courtesy that pitchers around the league will get when the umpires ask them to remove some of that rosin from their hand. I would expect all teams and all players to get that courtesy and they have and, overall, I think the umpires have done a good job of that. 

“But when he comes back out, and doesn’t comply to what he was asked to do, has something on his hand that he shouldn’t … and then he casually can just walk to the mound and keep pitching, it kinda goes against a lot of the things that we’ve talked about this year and some of the adjustments that we’re making in baseball. I was upset at it, and that’s it.”

When asked if he was surprised that the umpires chose to eject him and not Germán, Baldelli said he already intended to remove himself from the game because he did not agree with how the situation was handled.

“I wasn’t going to go to out on the field and return to the dugout, on principle, ’cause I thought it was wrong,” he noted. “I anticipated not being in the game anymore when I walked out there.”

While Baldelli clearly took exception with the handling of both checks, Germán remained in the game until exiting after 6 1/3 innings of work having allowed only three hits and one run in the eventual 6–1 Yankees win. 

After the game, Germán offered his perspective on the situation to reporters, explaining that the umpires told him he was O.K. to play after he told crew chief James Hoye prior to the fourth inning that he uses rosin in the dugout as opposed to the field.

“When I went back out, the discussion was intense,” Germán said, via an interpreter. “But I was able to explain that I have a rosin bag that’s in the area of the dugout, where I sit all the time, and he was able to talk that over and understand.”

With Saturday’s game in the books, questions will likely still remain surrounding whether or not Germán should’ve stayed in the game, though Baldelli maintained that allowing him to do was a violation of the rules.

“That’s the only point that I’m raising,” Baldelli continued. “Their pitcher was asked to do something pertaining to a rule that’s been a focal point of a lot of discussion, and he failed to do what he was asked to do and rid himself of something that he was carrying on his hand, that’s all. And when he returned and it was still on there partially, I didn’t think there was really any question that he should be removed from the game.”

Following Saturday’s loss, the Twins (10–5) will look to quickly regroup and close their four-game series against the Yankees (9–6) out with a win on Sunday after going 2–1 in the first three meetings.

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Jelani Scott
JELANI SCOTT

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