Yankees pitcher Domingo German was involved in a startling clubhouse incident earlier this week in which he reportedly got into a heated fight with Aaron Boone and his teammates.
The New York Yankees won't see Domingo German on the mound anymore after they placed him on the restricted list earlier this week.
On Wednesday, the Yankees announced that German voluntarily entered inpatient treatment for alcohol abuse and will focus on his health and well-being for as long as he needs to be away from the club. Brian Cashman told reporters that German wouldn't pitch again for the 2023 season.
These consequences come after a startling report from the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) that details German's clubhouse meltdown on Tuesday. According to the WSJ, German appeared to be intoxicated when he entered the clubhouse ahead of the Rays game and "grew belligerent" in heated confrontations with his teammates and Aaron Boone.
At one point, German flipped over a couch and smashed a TV. He was temporarily held in a sauna to sweat out the alcohol, and he ended up in Yankee stadium's team nap room — under the watchful eye of security — while his teammates prepared for the game.
Yankees' Domingo German suffers clubhouse meltdown, lands on restricted list
German has a 4.56 ERA in 20 appearances this season and will be forced to forfeit the rest of his salary this year as a result of landing on the restricted list. No stranger to off-field controversy, German missed the entire 2020 season after violating the league's domestic violence policy.
Amid a depressing Yankees season, German pitched a perfect game in late June to forever ink his name in the history books, but after his violent clubhouse incident, he's been cast under a much darker light.
The 31-year-old pitcher initially got scratched from his scheduled start on Monday, though that was reportedly due to armpit discomfort, not his recently revealed alcoholism issues.
Following the Yankees win against the Astros on Thursday, Boone said of German:
"I'm not commenting on anything in regard to what did or didn't happen with Domingo. Right now, he's in a place where hopefully he's getting the proper help and gets on the right path."
In the wake of German's struggles, the Yankees appear to be coming together in solidarity to give German support and faith to get through this difficult time. They'll see him at the end of the road to recovery.
