It’s only been 13 games, but Alek Manoah is quickly making himself a fan favourite in Toronto. He has the passion, he has the energy, and on top of all that, he’s pretty darn good. Manoah has started 13 games for the Blue Jays and in those appearances he’s racked up 78 strikeouts, which just happens to be a Blue Jays record.
So who did he surpass to take that record? The record previously belonged to Ricky Romero, Mark Rzepczynski and Trent Thornton who all picked up 69 strikeouts in their first 13 games.
Manoah had technically already surpassed that total through 11 games following an 11 strikeout performance against the Angels. He added another 7 strikeouts over his next two games to end up at 78 so far on the season.
His ability to strikeout his opposition has been impressive, but his 3.18 ERA might be even more noteworthy. That ERA is currently a better mark than that of his teammates Jose Berrios and Hyun Jin Ryu.
Again, the numbers are great and all, but everything you need to know about Alek Manoah can be seen from this clip.
You've got to love the confidence from the young Blue Jays pitcher.
