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TAMPA — If there were any doubt why the Yankees kept Domingo German around after he served his MLB ban, he displayed again on Wednesday what the team still sees in the right-hander.
German was excellent in his second outing of the spring, tossing three shutout innings and striking out three in a 6-5 win over the Pirates at Steinbrenner Field.
“He’s looking the part out there,’’ manager Aaron Boone said of the right-hander, who is trying to earn a spot in the rotation. “We’re really excited by where he’s at.”
So is German.
“I think these were the perfect two outings for me,’’ German said through an interpreter. “I haven’t faced big league hitters for a long time, so I want to attack the zone, and I’ve been able to do that.”
German needed just 31 pitches to get through his outing — a day after Deivi Garcia also impressed in his second start of the spring.
But he said he’s not thinking about the competition: “For me, [my focus] is just to do my job and let the front office decide.”
The Yankees got their first look at their high-leverage relief pitchers Wednesday and the results were mostly encouraging.
From Aroldis Chapman showing off his new splitter, to Darren O’Day fooling hitters with his delivery, to Chad Green striking out the side in his one inning of work, the trio looked as good as advertised.
The exception was Justin Wilson, who allowed two homers and couldn’t get out of the sixth inning.
Chapman came in throwing in the upper 90s and broke out the splitter he developed last season, throwing an especially effective one to Wilmer Difo. O’Day followed with his tough delivery — and mid-80s fastball — in the fifth.
“Everybody has a different virtue,’’ Chapman said through an interpreter when asked about O’Day. “He’s found a way to be effective, and at the end of the day, he finds a way to get guys out — just like me. We, as players, are all different. The bottom line is getting the job done.”
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