Toronto Blue Jays pitching prospect Alek Manoah made New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge look absolutely foolish during his MLB debut on Thursday.
The Blue Jays called Manoah up to the big leagues, with the young right-hander getting to make his debut at Yankee Stadium, of all places.
Manoah got his MLB career off to a flying start, including this strikeout of Judge in which the Yankee slugger looked as though he had been transported back to Little League.
Alek Manoah, 97mph ⛽️ and late ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/EprVbI8sG5
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 27, 2021
Manoah's mother was overwhelmed at seeing her son pitch in the majors, let alone make his debut against one of baseball's most storied franchises.
Alek Manoah's mom. ♥️
There's most definitely crying in baseball. pic.twitter.com/HcWcAYQjJJ— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 27, 2021
It's a big moment for the 23-year-old, who could serve as a major boon in the Blue Jays rotation.
The Blue Jays rank towards the bottom of baseball in rotation fWAR and 17th in rotation ERA. Toronto's starting group has lacked depth pretty much from the start of the season, with Ross Stripling proving ineffective and struggling with injuries and Steven Matz cooling significantly after a red-hot start.
Initially, the Blue Jays hoped another youngster would be the one to make a serious impact. Nate Pearson, the team's No. 1 prospect, was primed to hold down a starting spot heading into 2021, but he has been dealing with physical setbacks and has yet to pitch this season.
Instead, the Blue Jays will turn to Manoah as they get their first glimpse of what could be a tremendous stable of arms in the near future. He has high-90s gas in addition to a good changeup and plus breaking ball.
That kind of stuff makes Manoah a talent to watch going forward and quite difficult to hit, as Judge found out all too well Thursday afternoon.
Follow Us
Subscribe