In a move that came completely out of left field, New York Yankees pitcher Domingo German has apparently announced his retirement through Instagram.
If the New York Yankees were to see Domingo German at all this season, it would have been in the 2020 playoffs. As his 81 game suspension for domestic violence is still ongoing, and still has 63 games left, he would have been sidelined for the entire regular season. However, as he had been ineligible to appear in the 2019 postseason, he could have pitched for the Yankees in October.
As it turns out, that will not happen. In a series of posts on his Instagram account, German appeared to have announced his retirement from baseball.
At this point, German, for reasons known only to himself, appears to be taking his ball and going home. Not only is it unknown what prompted this decision, but it is also unknown as to whether or not he will look to return at any point in the future.
This is not a major loss for the Yankees this season. They had already anticipated not having German in the rotation for the first part of 2020 had the season begun on time, and knew he would not be a part of the abbreviated schedule.
In the long term, this is an unanticipated, and fairly significant, loss. He had just two major league seasons under his belt, giving the Yankees long term control. And, at just 28 years old, German was entering his theoretical prime. He had led the league in winning percentage in 2019, and had a lifetime 20-11 record with a 4.52 ERA and a 1.226 WHiP, striking out 273 batters with 83 walks in 243 innings.
One has to wonder what is going through German’s mind. While he can serve out his suspension on the Yankees’ restricted list, it is fair to wonder if there is more behind this decision. If there is, hopefully German will take this time away from the game to get the help he needs. And, maybe, show some maturity and growth at the same time.
In a complete surprise, Domingo German appears to have announced his retirement from baseball. Chances are, this was not a move the New York Yankees were expecting.