Baseball, Sports, WVU Sports

Former WVU pitcher Alek Manoah called up by Blue Jays, will make MLB debut against Yankees

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The Toronto Blue Jays announced Monday they will call up top pitching prospect Alek Manoah, who pitched for WVU from 2017-19, and he is expected to make his MLB debut Wednesday against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

Manoah, 23, made his Triple-A debut this season and has dominated in his three starts. The former 11th overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft is 3-0 with a 0.50 ERA in 18 inning to go along with a 9 to 1 strikeout to walk ratio (27 to 3).

He did not pitch last season with the cancellation of the Minor League Baseball season, but in short-season Vancouver in 2019, Manoah posted a 2.65 ERA in 17 innings.

Manoah, a Homestead, Fla., native, helped lead the Mountaineers in 2019 to hosting an NCAA regional after going 9-4 with a 2.08 ERA and 144 strikeouts in 108 1/3 innings and was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Year.

According to MLB.com, Manoah, at 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds, is Toronto’s No. 5 prospect and features a mid-90s fastball, slider and changeup.

The Blue Jays are currently in 4th place in the AL East behind the Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays and Yankees. Toronto is currently 15th in MLB with a 4.04 team ERA.

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