Replacing an ace couldn’t have been as simple as Domingo German made it seem.
After sliding into the injured Luis Severino’s spot in the rotation, and spending the first third of the season as the surprising star of the Yankees staff, German has now posted his two worst performances of the season in consecutive outings, making his shortest start of the season (3 ²/₃ innings) in Saturday night’s 5-3 win over the Red Sox.
Less than a week after being tagged for a career-high seven runs and nine hits (four home runs) in Kansas City, German allowed three runs, six hits and two walks, and received his second straight no-decision — following a string of six straight starts with a win.
“I just think they wore him down,” manager Aaron Boone said. “They made it difficult on him. Even when he was pitching well the first go-round, it was tough. They’re really good hitters and they make you work and they make you use all your pitches, and I think in a way it kind of wears you down and fatigues you a little bit.”
There were moments when the right-hander’s stuff seemed unhittable. There were curveballs that broke sharply and fastballs that raced past the bats of the defending World Series champions, allowing German to pile up eight strikeouts.
“I felt really good out there, physically and mentally,” said German, who threw 87 pitches and 54 for strikes. “I felt I moved forward from the last outing. … Overall, I felt really good out there.”
German (9-1) showed the sharpness of a major league leader in wins with two strikeouts in the first inning, but the 26-year-old surrendered back-to-back singles to open the second and allowed Boston to take a 1-0 lead on nine-hitter Sandy León’s single up the middle.
German, the fourth-ever Yankees pitcher with at least nine wins before June, was in line for another after being staked a 3-1 lead. He threw a perfect third inning, but opened the fourth by giving up a home run to Xander Bogaerts. After allowing just two home runs in his first seven appearances, German has now given up eight homers in his past five games and his ERA has risen to a season-high 3.66.
“I was trying to be aggressive there, trying to get ahead of the count there and he connected,” German said.
Following Bogaerts’ homer, Brock Holt singled, and Michael Chavis walked, setting up León for another run-scoring single to tie the game.
German was removed with two outs and two on, and saved from an uglier line — and potential loss — when Chad Green retired Andrew Benintendi to end the fourth.
“They made me throw a lot of pitches there. I made it difficult on myself there,” German said. “They’re tough hitters. They’re selective hitters, who don’t really chase much, made me work tonight.”
