Nothing — not the Twins’ batters or their coaches or the umpires — could disrupt Domingo German on Saturday afternoon.
The Yankees right-hander was dominant, the opposing manager was angry and the umpires were active during a 6-1 win over the Twins in The Bronx.
The Yankees (9-6) now have won one of the first three games against Minnesota before the series finale Sunday afternoon.
German, who was not even a surefire rotation member before injuries struck this spring, took a perfect game into the sixth inning and may have been nasty enough to draw suspicions.
After he struck out six in his first three innings, German was stopped by umpires for a lengthy check while coming off the mound following the top of the third.
When German made his way back to the mound for the top of the fourth, he was intercepted again before he reached the foul line in what was presumed to be an inspection for foreign substances.
For several minutes, crew chief James Hoye talked with German, manager Aaron Boone and team interpreter Marlon Abreu, as well as the Yankees infielders.
Finally, German was allowed to retake the mound.
As German began warming up, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli emerged from the visiting dugout to argue and quickly was tossed by Hoye.
The circumstances surrounding the checks and ejection were not immediately clear.
German’s spin rates appeared to be at normal levels.
If the Twins or umpires had suspicions because of the strength of his stuff, perhaps German can take it as a compliment: He was often unhittable and retired the first 16 batters he faced.
Minnesota did not get a batted ball past the infield until Donovan Solano flew out to end the top of the fifth inning.
They did not have a ball touch the outfield grass until there was one out in the sixth inning, when Christian Vazquez hit a clean single up the middle to break up German’s bid for perfection.
German then went from flirting with perfection to flirting with danger.
Michael A. Taylor followed with his own single to put two on with one out in a game the Yankees led, 4-0.
But German induced a ground out from Edouard Julien and got Yankees killer Carlos Correa — who had homered in two games straight — to fly out for the final out of the frame.
In all, German (1-1) allowed three hits and one run in 6 ¹/₃ innings in which he struck out a career-best 11.
In his previous start, German failed to strike out a batter and walked five in Cleveland on Monday.
German pitched into the seventh, before Trevor Larnach launched a double down the right-field line with one out that marked the end of the righty’s day.
German received a standing ovation while walking to the dugout and raised his hands, clapping into his glove right back at the 38,363 in attendance.
Michael King entered and allowed an RBI double to Jose Miranda and a single to Solano. But King got Max Kepler to hit into a double-play to escape further trouble.
King threw a scoreless eighth and ninth to finish off the Twins and spare the Yankees’ bullpen.
The Yankees were more efficient than excellent offensively, scoring six runs on six hits and five walks.
They struck first in the second inning, when Tyler Mahle booted a soft comebacker, putting Franchy Cordero on first base.
With two outs in an inning that should have been over, Kyle Higashioka ensured that error mattered, belting a two-run home run into the Yankees’ bullpen in right-center.
The Yankees added another run in the third, when Anthony Rizzo used the short porch in right for his fourth home run of the season.
DJ LeMahieu’s fourth-inning single drove in Anthony Volpe, and Giancarlo Stanton crushed a double to plate two more runs in the seventh.
The bats did enough on an afternoon when German — under apparent clouds of suspicion — did all he could.