Crew chief James Hoye rejects Domingo German's explanation following ejection vs Blue Jays: "Definitely not Rosin"

Domingo German's removal from the second game of the series against the Toronto Blue Jays has sparked major controversy in an already fired-up series between the American League East division rivals.

Crew chief James Hoye, who ejected German from the game, explained his statements after the game.

After pitching three fabulous innings while starting, Domingo German was taken up by James Hoye for a routine mid-innings check for banned substances. After checking his hands, Hoye gathered around his fellow umpires for a mini-conference as the game was halted. Once that concluded, they signaled for German to be removed from the game.

The 30-year-old Dominican professional will be put on the shelf for a 10-game ban as it is an automatic suspension that comes to a player who has been checked for using sticky substances.

Post the game, James Hoye spoke to MLB's reporters as he explained that it wasn't the usual rosin that pitchers have in their hands.

"Crew chief James Hoye said that Domingo German’s hand was the “stickiest I’ve ever felt” and that it was “definitely not rosin.”" - via Bryan Hoch, on Twitter

Domingo's ejection had major ramifications for the Yankees as Ian Hamilton, who was asked to replace German on the mound, later faced issues of his own. After getting ample amount of warm-up time, Hamilton was taken off the mound as he complained about an injury with two outs and bases loaded in the fourth.

Furthermore, the Blue Jays have already been hot on the heels of the Yanks since the series opener about allegations of cheating. Captain Aaron Judge was suspected of stealing signs in the game as he looked toward his dugout before he hit a homer in the eighth. He later explained that he was trying to figure out why the Yankees bench was constantly chirping during his at-bat.

Domingo German's check was not the first instance for the Dominican

Domingo German had already had his fair share of substance checks this season. Back in April, he was checked coincidentally by the same crew in a game against the Minnesota Twins for using an excessive amount of rosin. He was allowed to continue to pitch in the game, however, after he washed off the rosin from his hands.