Alek Manoah’s Remarks Following His Season’s First MLB Start

On February 19, 2024, in Dunedin, Florida, USA, pitcher Alek Manoah (6) of the Toronto Blue Jays takes a break during a Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports
In this narrative:

After 4.0 innings, Manoah gave up seven earned runs on six hits and four walks. Despite throwing 92 pitches, he did strike out six.

For Manoah, the past two or three years have been crazy. Manoah was among the top pitchers in baseball in 2022; he was selected for the All-Star Game and placed third in the American League Cy Young vote. In addition, he pitched against Seattle in the AL Wild Card series and started Game 1 of the playoffs that year.

But in 2023, Manoah’s situation collapsed. He only had a 3-9 record and twice returned to the minor levels after failing to adapt to the new pitch clock. In addition, he had a shoulder injury during this year’s spring training and had to endure many minor league rehab stints before being granted this chance on Sunday.

Manoah stated he needed to adjust mentally after the game. According to MLB.com:

Manoah remarked, “I don’t think it’s a control thing.” It was simply me trying to be too nice, to be on the outer corner. It’s important to realize that I’m not Greg Maddux. I will not be the next Greg Maddux. My fastball is really long-lived. All I have to do is step outside and have faith in it.

John Schneider, the manager of the Blue Jays, stated that Manoah will get another start in the rotation because of his strong overall game. Yariel Rodriguez was part of the rotation, but a back problem has forced him out.