Alek Manoah Outmaneuvers New York Yankees in MLB Debut, a 2-0 Toronto Blue Jays' Win
Alek Manoah, the Florida native pitcher of the Toronto Blue Jays, displayed his composure and confidence in his major league debut as the Jays dominated the New York Yankees with six innings of two-hit ball Thursday, 2-0.
In the doubleheader Thursday, May 27, Bo Bichette and Marcus Semien hit back-to-back homers in the third inning off Domingo German (4-3), improving their numbers to 6-3 against the Yankees this season by winning Wednesday's rainout.
Overwhelming Performance of Alek Manoah
The 23-year-old Florida native was selected 11th in the 2019 amateur draft. The right-hander Alek Manoah (1-0) was brought up after throwing only 35 professional innings in the minor leagues.
Alek Manoah's mother Susana, who was wearing a white Blue Jays jersey with her sons' name on the back, was the one who stood out among the sparse crowd in the late-afternoon start.
She later blew her son kisses from the stands. Alek Manoah was also caught crying when he faced AL batting champion DJ LeMahieu to start his big league career. According to Fox News, Alek said that he thinks everyone was hearing the Manoahs during the game.
After the game, Alek Manoah became the second starting pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays to throw six scoreless innings in his debut after Mauro Gozzo in 2019.
Manoah noted that he wants to take it all in and just really enjoy the moment. He also mentioned that there will be another outing in the next five days and he should get ready for that. But in the meantime, he said he wants to hug his whole family, which will give him enjoyment the most.
Alek Manoah cited the number of people to see him play, and said that's what he will remember the most. Even the manager of Yankees Aaron Boone said that the cheering section of Manoah was a little odd. He noted that it was unique and certainly feels different playing in there.
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The 6-foot-2, 260-pound Florida native wore jersey No. 6, not only because of his Triple-A number but also his favorite athlete, NBA star LeBron James wore it during his days with Miami where he had two titles.
Alek Manoah walked LaMahieu on four pitches but then struck out Rougned Odor on three pitches, which is the last changeup.
Aaron Judge swung so hard in missing a 3-1 fastball that he fell. Judge was then way behind in striking out Manoah's fastest game, a 97.3 mph full-count pitch.
Manoah shared that his first four pitches were the most nervous and excited he had all day. But after those four, he said he told himself that he does not want to suck, that's why he locked in and forgot everything else aside from pitching.
The 23-year-old pitcher, Manoah also allowed singles to Miguel Andújar in the second and fifth inning. He struck out seven and walked two, throwing 60 of 88 pitches for strikes and getting 10 swings and misses, CBS Sports reported.
Alek Manoah threw 30 fastballs, 26 sliders, 19 sinkers, and 13 changeups.
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WATCH: Alek Manoah SILENCES the Yankees' offense in his MLB debut (And his family celebrates in the crowd!) - From MLB
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