Bizarre Domingo Germán interview will make Yankees fans glad he's Pirates' problem

No one besides the men in the locker room will ever know what really happened last summer when Domingo Germán lashed out prior to being sentenced to the restricted list. What was reported, though, was harrowing from the Yankees' perspective, and the Germán who spoke this week -- on the verge of resuming his career in Pittsburgh -- didn't sound at all remorseful.

Reports, at the time, were that Germán "seemed intoxicated"; the pitcher now disputes that allegation, claiming he had drank the night before. What isn't disputed is that the "belligerent" pitcher smashed a television set and violently confronted Aaron Boone before being sent to the sauna and off the team.

About a month after his highest high -- completing a perfect game that makes "improbable" sound like a child's play adjective -- Germán was exiled and sent to treatment, a stipulation that he was forced to complete in order to receive the remainder of his 2023 salary.

In an interview published Monday, the right-hander was almost shockingly blasé about that serious consequence, a stint in a clinic that came nearly four years after he was suspended 81 games for violating the league's Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy (over an incident that occurred in public at a charity event).

Germán, who reportedly does not acknowledge having a drinking problem and "still drinks," acknowledged feeling like he earned preferential treatment at the rehab center as a repeat visitor. The entire interview is worth reading for the right-hander's patently bizarre non-acknowledgment that he had reason to be concerned about the way he conducts himself. He will now team up with Aroldis Chapman and Billy McKinney in Pittsburgh. Most importantly, he will not team up with the current Yankees.

Yankees no longer have Domingo Germán on roster, who maintains he can continue to drink after leaving rehab

McKinney, for one, didn't seem too thrilled about the Pirates' supposed due diligence before securing Germán's signature, stating, "They didn't ask me. I had no idea we were signing him until the news came out. I talked to a couple guys after the fact, but nothing before.

Aroldis Chapman, now in a "mentorship" role with Germán at a second location (editor's note: whew, boy), also sounded skeptical of his own ability to factor into the equation, telling NJ Advanced Media, "He's a good man. I've tried to help him a long time ago. I've tried everything."

In all, it certainly sounds as if Germán -- who, it turns out, couldn't further derail a 2023 season that was already firmly off the rails, but would've if there'd still been rails to ride -- isn't terribly remorseful for any number of his past behaviors. In the article, those close to him reported worry that, after his stint in rehab ended, he spent time drinking for a few days while he "disappeared." This doesn't sound like anyone who is Major League-ready for a record-setting ninth chance.

We admonished the Yankees for continuing to associate themselves with the right-hander for so long, and can now move on to admonishing the Pirates for gathering the Yankees' evidence and lighting it on fire.