Yankees' Domingo German voluntarily enters treatment facility for alcohol abuse

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The New York Yankees announced starter Domingo German, who threw the 24the perfect game in MLB history earlier this season, has been placed on the restricted list after voluntarily entering a treatment facility for alcohol abuse.

"Domingo German has agreed today to voluntarily submit to inpatient treatment for alcohol abuse," the Yankees said on X, formally known as Twitter. "He will be placed on the Restricted List for the time that he is away from the club. 

"It is critical Domingo completely focuses on addressing his health and well-being. We will respect his privacy as he begins this process."

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New York Yankees' Domingo German pitches during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Monday, July 31, 2023, in New York.  (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

During a press conference following the announcement, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said he doesn't expect German to return this season.

German has been having an up-and-down season on the mound for the Yankees, but an issue regarding alcohol abuse was not previously reported. 

However, alcohol was involved in a domestic violence incident that occurred in 2019, which eventually led to an 81-game suspension for German. 

During a gala hosted by then-teammate CC Sabathia in New York, German was seen slapping his girlfriend at the event, according to The Athletic. Then, while intoxicated, he reportedly became violent following the gala. 

NEW YORK YANKEES' DOMINGO GERMAN SUSPENDED 81 GAMES FOR VIOLATING DOMESTIC-VIOLENCE POLICY

A Yankees teammate, who wasn’t named, and his wife had to intervene after German’s girlfriend hid from him in a locked room. While the Yankees teammate tried to calm him down, the wife picked the woman up. 

No police report was filed of the incident, as authorities were never called to the scene. But MLB stepped in and hit German with the suspension on Jan. 2, 2020. He had to miss the entire 60-game COVID-shortened season and was eventually reinstated on Oct. 6, 2020. 

Domingo German #0 of the New York Yankees delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on May 16, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  (Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)

"I was able to speak to each player on the team," German said in a statement, via ESPN, during spring training in 2021. "The only acceptable way to begin to move forward was to address them face-to-face. It is worth repeating again today what I told the team, there are a lot of young players who wear this uniform, and I want them to understand the great damage that can be done when mistakes like mine have been made."

The Yankees are no strangers to a player bowing out of a season to get control over alcoholism. 

Sabathia himself has been vocal about his path to sobriety, as he dealt with alcohol abuse during his career as well. He bowed out of the 2015 Yankees season to go to rehab in October right before the start of the playoffs after dealing with his alcoholism battle throughout his career.

On June 29 of this year, German threw a perfect game against the Oakland Athletics in an 11-0 victory that went down as the fourth in franchise history. He joined Don Larsen (1956), David Wells (1998) and David Cone (1999) as the only pitchers to do so. 

Over 20 games this season (19 starts), German owns a 4.56 ERA in 108.2 innings with 114 strikeouts. 

Domingo German #0 of the New York Yankees walks to the dugout in the second inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on May 16, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  (Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)

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For his six-year career in the big leagues — all with New York — he has a 4.41 ERA in 522.1 innings with 543 career strikeouts. He eclipsed 500 strikeouts during his perfect game performance.