Dominant Domingo Germán start makes Pirates fans rightly uncomfortable

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Domingo Germán made his first MLB start in over a year Wednesday, garnering praise for the six-inning performance in which he allowed zero runs against the Texas Rangers.

The 32-year-old, who spent six seasons with the New York Yankees and tossed the 24th perfect game in MLB history last summer, joined the Pirates as a minor-league free agent in March. He had spent most of 2024 with Triple-A Indianapolis, where he made 13 starts, going 6-4 with a 5.29 ERA in 68 innings. The Pirates released him on July 17 when he exercised his opt-out clause, then re-signed him to another minor league deal five days later.

The Pirates called Germán up to big leagues on Aug. 9 – the day the opt-out on his new contract kicked in – and he made three relief outings prior to starting Wednesday. Since joining the Pirates, he has a 1.50 ERA in 12 innings with eight strikeouts and seven walks.

On the surface, it sounds great – maybe even great enough to consider him for more frequent starts in the Pirates' rotation. But why was Wednesday Germán's first MLB start in over a year, you ask? Allow us to explain.

Discussions of adding Germán to rotation after dominant start should make Pirates fans uncomfortable

Germán may be the author of the most recent perfect game in MLB history, but he is an otherwise average pitcher who carries far too much risk for the Pirates to consider adding him to their major league starting rotation.

Just over a year ago, a report from the Wall Street Journal detailed an incident in which Germán appeared to be intoxicated when he entered the Yankees clubhouse ahead of a game against the Tampa Bay Rays and “grew belligerent” in heated confrontations with his teammates and manager Aaron Boone. According to the report, Germán flipped over a couch and smashed a TV before being temporarily held in a sauna under the watchful eye of security while his teammates prepared for the game.

The following day, Germán was placed on the restricted list and voluntarily entered inpatient treatment for alcohol abuse. He deserves some credit for taking measures to focus on his health and wellbeing, but his history of off-field issues (of his own making, mind you) makes it incredibly difficult to believe that the hard times are truly behind him.

The incident in the Yankees clubhouse was far from Germán's first offense. Earlier in the 2024 season, just three months before he tossed the perfect game, Germán was suspended 10 games and fined by Major League Baseball for violating policies regarding the use of foreign substances. Before that, he missed the entire 2020 season after violating the league’s domestic violence policy.

Everyone deserves a second chance, but Germán is on at least his fourth. With a behavioral history like his, it shouldn't matter how good he looks on the mound. As long as the Pirates keep him on their roster – much less in their starting rotation – they are playing with fire.

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