Manoah Tosses Gem, Grabs First Win of the Season

Former West Virgnia hurler Alek Manoah throws a seven inning one hitter against the Rays

May 12, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Alek Manoah (6) speaks to / Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

West Virginia University’s season record holder for strikeouts Alek Manoah was in a groove Sunday afternoon and captured his first win of the year in his third appearance of the season.

Manoah, in his fourth season in Toronto, tossed seven scoreless innings and recorded a season-high seven strikeouts, allowing one hit one walk against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Homestead, Florida, native had a slow start to the season after he was sidelined with shoulder soreness during spring training, an infliction he has dealt with since the backend of last season. He gave up 10 hits, including three home runs in his first 11 MLB innings of the season, however, he did register a combined 12 strikeouts.

Manoah had a tumultuous debut in the Minor League after dealing with a shoulder injury. In his return to the mound with the Dunedin Blue Jays, a Single A affiliate out of Florida, he allowed seven runs – six earned – in 1.2 innings of work.

He moved to the Buffalo Bisons (Triple-A) and after his first three outings, held a 9.00 ERA, although in the middle of the three-game stretch, tossed 5.2 innings and allowed two runs with five strikeouts.

Manoah bounced back in his final game with the Bison, striking out 12 in six innings of work.

Last season, Manoah struggled after having a Cy Young caliber season in 2022. He went 1-7 in his first 13 starts with a 6.36 ERA before a two-game stint in the Minors. He made six more starts to finalize his 2023 season, and although he lowered his ERA to 5.87, Toronto sent him back down to the Minors and made no more appearances for the year.

Manoah set the single season record for strikeouts with 144 in 2019 to help guide the program to host its first regional in 44 years before he was drafted 11th overall in the 2019 MLB Draft.

As a rookie, he went 9-2 with a 3.22 ERA and followed it with a 16-7 record and a 2.24 ERA in 2022 and finished third in Cy Young voting.