The follow-up to Domingo German’s flawless game was far from flawless, particularly after the first inning. Just five days after German achieved the 24th perfect game in MLB history, and the fourth for the Yankees, he struggled to last even five innings, giving up nine hits and three runs (two earned), while striking out five batters in 4 ²/₃ frames. Despite moments of celebration, with fans, highlights, and broadcast calls filling the Yankees’ 6-3 victory against the Orioles on Monday, German ultimately reminded everyone of the inconsistencies that plagued his 2023 season prior to his historic performance.
“Domingo gave up a lot of hits, a lot of traffic,” remarked Yankees manager Aaron Boone. “But we stayed in the game. It didn’t get away from us. He managed to avoid extra-base hits and home runs. Obviously, it wasn’t perfect, but we hung in there.”
Additionally, the Yankees are now faced with decisions regarding their rotation. With Carlos Rodon set to return this week, there is a rotation dilemma with six starters. One option is to move Clarke Schmidt to the bullpen, similar to last year. Despite this, Monday’s game allowed the team to relive the excitement of the perfect game. As expected, German received an enthusiastic pregame greeting, acknowledging his historic achievement rather than his underwhelming 7.77 ERA in his previous four starts. When he jogged out to the bullpen before the game, the crowd erupted in loud cheers. German paused, clapped his hands above his head, and the Yankees played a video montage of highlights from his perfect game in Oakland.
Even after exiting the game in the fifth inning with runners on first and third, German received applause from the crowd. “It meant a lot,” German conveyed through an interpreter. “It was great to see all the fans showing their support like that. For me, it’s a mutual exchange of support throughout the years. It gives me more encouragement to keep giving my best, so I can continue to enjoy our games.”
However, the remarkable performance from the perfect game did not carry over into this game. German’s brilliance lasted only three batters. Although he recorded a 1-2-3 first inning, the Orioles quickly countered with three consecutive singles in the second inning. Cedric Mullins’ hit allowed Ryan O’Hearn to score, and two more runs were added by the Orioles in the following innings. German struggled, requiring 20 or more pitches in the second, third, and fourth innings.
The magic of the perfect game was unable to sustain German’s performance. He lacked the same efficiency and dazzling curveball on Monday. Instead, the game served as another chapter in German’s career, riddled with injuries, inconsistencies, an 81-game suspension for domestic violence in 2020, and an ejection and suspension related to the use of sticky substances this year. “Tonight’s outing, I think my fastball and secondary pitches weren’t as sharp as I wanted them to be,” German admitted. “Credit to the Orioles, though. They made adjustments throughout the game and put the ball in play. That’s what this sport is all about.”
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