Alek Manoah has been consistently excellent for the Toronto Blue Jays since making his big league debut just over one year ago, and now he has joined some exclusive company with a pair of milestones.
By picking up the win in Monday’s 11-1 trouncing of the Baltimore Orioles, Manoah now has 17 wins in his first 20 decisions to start his career. According to the Blue Jays, he is only the seventh pitcher since 1901 to ever start their career that way, with the most recent being former Athletics star Vida Blue between 1969 and ’71.
The win also improved Manoah’s record at home to 10-0 to start his career, something no American League starter has done since Blue. One of Manoah’s home wins came in Buffalo last season.
Manoah pitched six shutout innings Monday, allowing just one hit with seven strikeouts, to improve to 8-1 in 12 starts this season. He entered play with a 1.82 ERA, which was the third-best in the majors.
Manoah will face a much more difficult opponent in his next start this weekend when the New York Yankees come to town, but the AL’s best team hasn’t given him much trouble so far in his career. In four starts against the team he grew up rooting for, Manoah has a 2-0 record with a 1.52 ERA.
