German (18-4) earned the win in Game 2 of a doubleheader against Detroit on Thursday, pitching four scoreless innings and giving up two hits and no walks while striking out five.
As planned, CC Sabathia opened the game and German entered in a bulk relief role, throwing 50 pitches -- 37 of which were strikes -- in four frames. German inherited a one-run lead with the tying run in scoring position and one out in the fourth inning and quickly extinguished the threat, needing only six pitches to set the next two batters down in order. The 27-year-old then cruised through the rest of his outing, whiffing five along the way to record his 18th victory, tying Justin Verlander for tops in baseball. Despite his success as a traditional starter, German figures to continue pitching out of the bullpen for the remainder of September as the Yankees look to manage his workload and prepare him for the relief role that he will likely fill in the playoffs.