As Blue Jays chase playoff berth, burly ace Alek Manoah stays in attack mode: 'He goes out and gives it'

In a wonderful coincidence, Alek Manoah recently found himself on a rare road trip to Pittsburgh with a timely night off that allowed him to revel in the star he’s become, and dream of bigger stages still.

Before he was the hulking, fearless ace for the Toronto Blue Jays, Manoah was the biggest man on campus for West Virginia’s baseball team, seemingly having a better chance at wrestling a bear than a coach would wresting the ball from him in the late innings. Last week, when his Blue Jays made their first interleague trip to the Steel City since 2014, it coincided with the renewal of the Backyard Brawl, pitting the Mountaineers football team against Pitt for the first time since 2011.

And Manoah, in his first full big league season that included a star turn at July’s All-Star Game, was greeted justly.

He roamed the sidelines like a big dog, greeting old friends and making new ones. They made sure he was introduced to ESPN’s GameDay crew, which already knew him well. And as he glanced around the former Heinz Field and the 70,000 fans packing it, his thoughts quickly returned to competing.

“The energy was amazing,” he says. “To feel that great atmosphere – I kind of wanted to go pitch in front of that crowd.”

Of course he did.

Baseball may never afford Manoah a setting so large, but it’s clear he wouldn’t shirk from it. While the Blue Jays are increasingly a star-studded collection of multi-generational talents and nine-figure superstars, it is Manoah who may prove to be their lead blocker as they aim to upset the balance of power in the American League.

After winning three of four games in Baltimore, Toronto holds a 4 ½-game lead for the final AL wild card spot with 26 games remaining, its return to the playoffs for the first time in a full season since 2016 growing likelier by the day. The Blue Jays figure to hit the road for a best-of-three wild-card series, and likelier still that they hand the ball to Manoah to set the tone in a hostile environment.

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Such an assignment would require an ace’s talent, but also a certain defiant streak, impervious to the stakes and the hostile crowd around them.

Say, a 6-6, 285-pounder with four elite pitches, who ranks in the AL’s top four in innings, ERA and WHIP while giving no quarter regardless of opponent’s pedigree.

“He doesn’t take (expletive) from anyone and he goes out and gives it,” says Jordan Romano, who has racked up 30 saves for the Blue Jays this season. “Whenever he starts, it’s like an event. It’s Manoah Day. He always brings the energy. You know he’s going to compete with everything he’s got and you’ve seen all year how well it’s been going for him. It’s always a special game when he throws.

“When he’s out there, it feels a little more.”

Regardless of opponent, and especially when the stakes are high.

‘Put ‘em to sleep early’

Manoah did not hesitate to step toward Yankees ace Gerrit Cole after the $324 million pitcher vaulted a dugout rail and stepped on the field when tensions ran high in a recent game. Manoah, who had hit Aaron Judge with a pitch, dared Cole to come out to the mound and after, famously quipped, “He can come past the Audi sign next time.”

Tuesday, the Blue Jays engaged in a benches-clearing incident with the Orioles – their nearest pursuers for the final wild card spot – after their former teammate, Bryan Baker, continued a pattern of gesturing toward Toronto players after recording outs. Baltimore won the game and afterward, Manoah lingered in the dugout watching the Orioles’ celebration, pondering his assignment the next night.

Manoah made his stand Wednesday, holding the Orioles to one run and three hits over eight innings, handing the baton directly to Romano in a 4-1 win. Manoah retired 22 of the final 23 batters he faced, ensuring Toronto took three of four in the series and that their playoff cushion was 4 ½ games, not 2 ½.

“He has a really unique ability to take things in and use it for fuel, use it for motivation, but he does it in the right way,” says Blue Jays interim manager John Schneider. “He channels it very well and he keeps his emotions in check.”

Or, as Manoah put it: “Attack. Put ‘em to sleep early and get on the plane.”

And then some. Manoah’s 2.42 ERA ranks fourth in the AL, as does his 0.99 WHIP. While franchises are typically cautious with young pitchers and their innings history, Manoah, 24, has been outspoken in his desire to perform like an old-school horse. He ranks second in the AL in innings pitched with 171 – already 41 innings more than his combined total in 2021, and trailing Cole by just one-third of an inning for the AL lead.

“He’s reaching new career highs every time he steps out there,” says Schneider, “and he continues to push the bar higher and higher.”

With any luck, he’ll encounter more uncharted waters in a few weeks.

‘He’s our guy’

The 2021 Blue Jays were a fascinating bunch, not allowed to play at home until July due to coronavirus restrictions and then rallying to finish just one win behind the division rival Yankees and Boston Red Sox for a playoff berth. The expanded playoffs all but ensures entry this season, though this group is taking few chances.

“Last year, we missed it by a game. And we truly felt that in the second half, we were the best team in baseball,” says Manoah, who debuted on May 27 and won nine games for the 91-win squad. “If we would have got in, we would have done damage. The goal this year was to take every game with huge focus, not try to put too much pressure on each game but understand that all games do matter, to have that focal point.

“No matter how young we are, we want to win as much as possible. We truly felt like we missed it last year. And we don’t want to miss it again.”

Despite his youth and that he’s not yet played a full season, Manoah stands out in a veteran clubhouse featuring $150 million center fielder George Springer and second-generation stars Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Manoah, a Miami native, is certainly more outwardly brash than the aforementioned stars.

Yet he won them over quickly.

For Bichette, it came in spring training 2021, when he made a pair of starts in short order against the Yankees, pitching five combined innings and giving up just one hit. In the latter outing, he struck out seven in three innings.

“It wasn’t necessarily the results,” Bichette recalls, “it was more about you could tell he knew he belonged.”

As if to drive that point home, Manoah made his major league debut at Yankee Stadium that May and dominated: Six shutout innings, seven strikeouts, two hits.

“After that one,” remembers Romano, “I was like, wow, this guy’s first outing in Yankee Stadium coming in like that kind of showed me who he was. And really just kept it going from there.”

The dominance continued this season: Manoah has already won 14 games and won over a good portion of North America with a command performance while mic-ed up during the All-Star Game. His cocksure manner and exuberance – “Three punchies!” he proclaimed as he struck out the side – left an indelible mark on the game.

Now, when he signs autographs for youngsters before games, he’s the fun guy.

“They’re like hey man, we loved the All-Star Game mic’d up stuff,” he says. “That’s the coolest part. The kids remember all that stuff.”

His persona is a bit more menacing in the games that count. Manoah won’t break Statcast anytime soon but can run his fastball up to 95 mph. Combined with his tall frame, freakish flexibility and athletic ability, the ball jumps on hitters in a hurry.

And then there’s the intangibles.

Should the Blue Jays reach the AL Division Series, they’ll get at least two home games at Rogers Centre, which can cram 45,000 fans. It is one of baseball’s biggest stages, an appropriate setting to fulfill Manoah’s big-game dreams.

Expect him to embrace the responsibility, regardless of opponent.

“It’s always good having those guys on your team,” says Romano. “Every team can use one.

“And he’s our guy.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Blue Jays ace Alek Manoah leading Toronto to the playoffs