Coming into this game the Jays were feeling positive coming off of sweeping the Chicago White Sox. But now the focus was on Alek Manoah’s to return to the Blue Jays pitching lineup against the Detroit Tigers.
Ever since his poor start this season, Alek Manoah was sent down to the minors and everyone’s been wondering whether his return to the lineup was too soon. But Manoah proved them wrong. If you were watching the game you could see the smile on Manoah’s face because it was the sixth inning and he was still in the game. The Jays also had a seven-to-one lead at this point. So, Let’s take a look at what went right with his return to the majors.
Three Highlights of Alek Manoah’s Return to the Majors
His team’s offense was on point
It’s always nice when your team is offensively doing well and putting up numbers for you to win games. The Jays had an exciting fourth inning scoring six runs and one of them being a homerun from George Springer.
The Jays were threatening in the ninth inning to score more runs with two on and nobody out. With a base hit from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He picks up his 58th RBI of the season making the score eight to two.
Then with the bases loaded and nobody out the Jays continued to threaten. Whit Merrifield makes them pay and launches a three-run home run. He has three home runs in the last two games and he has never done this in his career. We cannot also forget a four-hit night for Kevin Kiermaier.
Strong Performance
It was an emotional night returning to the mound but Manoah was pounding the strike zone with strikeouts. Maonoah looked comfortable pitching as by the bottom of the sixth, he had eight strikeouts which are a season-high for him.
Most importantly he did not walk a batter, as Manoah has gotten into trouble in the past when he walks batters. In addition, he was in a jam in the third and was able to get out of it and this helped to build his confidence as a pitcher.
Playing the Detroit Tigers
Manoah’s return to the mound came at a perfect game against a team that is under .500 and whose offense was flat. This would help boost his confidence and this was an encouraging game for him coming back from AAA. This was a huge game for him and the last thing he wanted was to not pitch well. This game was like a test for him and well at the end of the day he passed the test.
This game ultimately showcased how Manoah got back his swagger. What he did was a huge step forward and he showed his team that they are able to trust him again and he delivered. The Detroit Tigers were just not seeing the ball or getting anything going in the game and Manoah capitalized on this. A lot of swing and misses and weak contact from the Tigers.
Jays Continue To Shine
At the end of the day, the Jays capitalized on the Tiger’s poor pitching winning the game with a score of 12-2. Manoah’s return to the mound was great and it also has brought the Blue Jays win streak to four games in a row. Many were skeptical about Manoah returning but he proved many wrong and this game brought him a huge confidence boost.
The Jays also moved one game ahead of the Yankees in the standings. The Jays offense has continued to be consistent and Danny Jansen also did a great job catching Manoah in the game. Everything just went right for the Jays and there were smiles all around. At the end of the day, the story of the night was Alek Manoah and his stellar performance after returning from the minors.
Main Image: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
