TAMPA – A group of professional athletes taking a serious problem seriously.
It looks elementary enough, right? In the case of the Yankees and Domingo German, however, that was shocking. We are not used to teammates increasing pressure on each other, as many Yankees now do with German, the pitcher who seeks to return from an 81-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball’s domestic violence protocols.
Many of you don’t like this, based on readers’ emails. Like it or not, however, it’s real and it’s not over yet.
While trying to rehabilitate his baseball career, German will operate with a deficit of confidence – “skating on thin ice”, as Luke Voit said on Wednesday – with the people he needs most.
German took his next step on Wednesday when speaking at a Zoom press conference, and the 28-year-old carried out the task without any problems. Through an interpreter, the native of the Dominican Republic took responsibility for his actions on September 16, 2019 and acknowledged that he must “show that I can definitely become a better person and let my actions speak for myself”.
This session lasted more than 30 minutes, ending around 1:40 pm. Less than an hour later, Voit uttered his German quote of the day, saying: “We protect him, but he is skating on thin ice and needs his life together. ”In addition, Voit added:“ He was wrong. A lot of guys look at him differently now, but I believe in second chances, and the guy deserves a second chance. “
Giancarlo Stanton, more diplomatic at the same time stating his argument, added: “At the clubhouse, we all have difficult things, some much worse than others. But it is our job to support in the right way when we have the opportunity. “
Add Zack Britton’s words from last week – “Sometimes you can’t control who your teammates are and that’s the situation” – and you have a clear picture that the German is facing a difficult climb.
It’s not impossible. Voit and Stanton voiced their criticisms in supportive words, and on Wednesday German, who apologized to his companions on Tuesday, praised Britton for offering “really good advice on how I can improve” and expressed understanding for the sharp rhetoric of Britton.
“He did enough to gain the opportunity to be here and compete and be part of this team,” said coach Aaron Boone of the German. “Now the proof is in the daily life he takes.
We generally don’t hear such severity from teammates when a player returns from a prolonged suspension, whether for domestic violence or illegal drugs to improve performance. When the Mets resumed Jose Reyes in 2016, after Reyes tied a 52-game suspension for a domestic violence penalty while with the Rockies, team captain David Wright called Reyes’ actions “horrible, terrible” but totally and unconditionally supported the decision. He loved the sinner and hated sin, the standard game in these situations.
When the Astros switched to Roberto Osuna of the Blue Jays in 2018, amid Osuna’s 75 domestic violence suspension games, Houston veteran pitcher Justin Verlander, looking discouraged, told reporters: “It’s a difficult situation. I think we must remember here that the details have not surfaced. We don’t know the whole story. “
To reiterate a recent point, the Yankees know most, if not all, of German’s history. They lived in real time. The fact that it happened a few weeks before the postseason, which certainly hurt the team’s chances of beating the Astros in the American League (they didn’t), shouldn’t matter in the big picture, but the German felt compelled to say: in his press conference: “When my team needed me most in 2019, before we started the playoffs, I wasn’t there for them. And for that, I ask your forgiveness. “
Yankees players seem willing to forgive without forgetting. To try to make it work without pressing the reset button.
They are taking this seriously. Good for them. If they can use this seriousness to help German restore his life and restore his professional viability? Even better.