Domingo Germán's 'Remarkable' Performance Paved Way to Yankees Victory

As the first inning unraveled on Thursday night, with three runs coming across against starter Domingo Germán, Yankees manager Aaron Boone began to consider making a call to the bullpen. 

Even if all signs pointed to another underwhelming performance from a Yankees' starter, sticking with Germán was the best decision Boone could have made. The right-hander—in his first start since returning from a brief stint at the alternate site—tossed six strong innings, paving the way to a 6-3 win in Cleveland.

"A remarkable performance considering how that first inning unfolded," Boone said. "He just settled in, got incredibly pitch efficient and gave us a huge outing."

After striking out the leadoff hitter to begin the bottom of the first, Germán couldn't buy an out. 

A blooper to left field popped out of Brett Gardner's glove for a single and after a double from José Ramírez, a ball deflected off Mike Ford's glove at first base to score the game's first run. 

Next, Germán couldn't handle a comebacker, allowing another run to score. It wasn't until after Josh Naylor's RBI single—the sixth hitter in Cleveland's order—that Germán was able to record a second out. 

Kyle Higashioka was behind the plate during the first inning, explaining after the game that the "crap hit the fan" thanks to some sloppy play and bad luck. It was how Germán responded that showed what kind of pitcher he is. 

"Huge credit to his mindset giving us five more shutout innings after that, because I know, mentally, it's tough when you're doing everything right and then things aren't going your way," Higashioka said. "I thought it was really good that he was able to lock it in for the rest of the game and give us a chance to win."

The right-hander cruised through the next five frames, surrendering just three hits the rest of the way. He retired the final seven batters he faced, ending the day with six strikeouts. 

"What he did today was unbelievable." second baseman Rougned Odor said. "He started the game in a little bit of trouble, but you know what? He never gave up. He kept believing in himself, kept pushing himself and that's why we won the game."

It was Odor's two-run single in the seventh inning that gave New York the lead. That clutch knock also put Germán in line to record his first win of the young season. 

That's a milestone for the right-hander that hadn't earned a victory in a big-league game since Sept. 12, 2019. Missing the end of that season—along with the entire 2020 season due to his 81-game suspension for violating MLB's domestic violence policies—it's been a long road back to this point off the field.

Considering the way Germán's first two starts of the season transpired—featuring seven earned runs in as many innings along with four total home runs—Thursday's performance confirmed that the right-hander's success during spring training to earn a spot in this rotation wasn't a fluke. 

Germán explained after his outing that quick outs helped him get deeper into the game after throwing nearly 30 pitches in the first. All that hard work at the alternate site, making adjustments after a shaky start to the regular season, is starting to pay off. 

"The alternate site gave me time to work on those things that I needed to work on, find myself and just came here and had the confidence to execute the pitches," Germán said through the team's interpreter. "Now, I think it opens the doors for me to find that rhythm and keep doing things the way I would like to."

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