Domingo German’s breakout season has come largely on the back of his dominant curveball.
That wasn’t the case Thursday afternoon, as the Yankees beat the Rays 6-2 in the first game of a doubleheader.
After waiting an hour and 26 minutes for a rain-less rain delay, Austin Meadows launched German’s fourth pitch of the afternoon, a curveball, into the right-field stands. Four pitches later, Yandy Díaz took another hanging curve and sent it over the left-field wall. Just eight pitches into the game, German had the Yankees trailing 2-0.
Some, especially those with his relative lack of experience, would fail to rebound from such a start. Not German, who quickly adjusted to another weapon in his increasingly impressive arsenal.
“I wasn’t commanding the curveball how I wanted to today,” German said. “But the changeup was there for me today, and I was able to command it. I noticed that it was being effective, so in a game when you see things like that, you have to make an adjustment. I was able to do that today with the changeup.”
German’s quick audible proved successful. After giving up the two leadoff home runs, the first time that has happened in his career, German shut out the Rays. He finished with six innings pitched, two earned runs and five strikeouts.
“He continued to show you why he’s become such a good pitcher … ,” manager Aaron Boone said. “You saw a guy just continue to pitch. He does such a good job for being still a young big leaguer of not letting a result that just happened spill into the next pitch. He’s really good at controlling his emotions and just locking in and executing pitches. And today, his breaking ball wasn’t as dominant as it’s been for much of the year, and he was still able to find his way and give us six really good innings.”
That poise, more than his curveball, is what has impressed Boone the most about the 26-year-old. Through 15 starts this season, German is 12-2 with a team-best 3.38 ERA.
“I think it’s a maturation, but it’s also the thing I talk about all the time with Domingo,” Boone said. “What has made him successful is the feel for three pitches and the ability to throw those in any count, and for example today, in any situation. Sometimes you’re not always going to have your best breaking ball, your best fastball. The really good ones are still able to figure it out and find a way.”
As he has all season, German found a way.