In the aftermath of the New York Yankees’ dominant 11-0 victory at the Oakland Coliseum, Oakland Athletics’ manager Mark Kotsay acknowledged the challenge his team faced in countering Domingo German‘s exceptional performance, which resulted in a historic perfect game.
Reflecting on his team’s offensive struggles, Kotsay admitted that their approach at the plate was lacking. They failed to make the necessary adjustments against Germán’s changeup and breaking ball until they were down to two strikes. Consequently, they ended up hitting numerous balls to the pull side.
“I think overall offensively, our approach wasn’t great. We didn’t make any adjustments to what he was doing, throwing his changeup and his breaking ball until he got two strikes. We hit a ton of balls to the pull side.”
Mark Kotsay lauds German’s pitching mastery and flawless command in Yankees’ historic perfect game
Kotsay highlighted the difficulty his team had in handling Domingo German’s fastball and their inability to adapt during the game. He commended German for his impressive outing, emphasizing German’s ability to consistently throw strikes and dominate the strike zone. Completing the entire nine innings without allowing a baserunner was a testament to Germán’s command and skill on the mound.
In particular, Kotsay praised German’s performance, describing it as “amazing.” He noted that Domingo German accomplished this feat in just 99 pitches, with an impressive 72 of them resulting in strikes. Out of the 27 batters German faced, he induced eight groundball outs, seven of which were pulled. The game concluded with Esteury Ruiz grounding out to third baseman Josh Donaldson.
Kotsay acknowledged the challenge posed by Germán, admitting that his team struggled to find their rhythm against him throughout the game. Germán effectively kept the Athletics’ hitters off balance, preventing them from making successful adjustments.
German’s pitch repertoire consisted of 51 curveballs and 30 fastballs, averaging 92.5 mph, complemented by 17 changeups and one sinker. The Athletics managed to hit only one ball hard during the entire game. In the fifth inning, left-handed batter Seth Brown hit a sharply struck grounder clocked at 106.5 mph, seemingly destined for the right-field corner. However, first baseman Anthony Rizzo made a remarkable diving stop and flipped the ball to Germán, resulting in an out.
Germán’s exceptional command allowed him to consistently record quick outs, ultimately securing the perfect game in just 99 pitches, with 72 of them being strikes. Kotsay reiterated his acknowledgment of Germán’s outstanding performance, emphasizing the Athletics’ collective failure to make necessary adjustments throughout the game.
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