Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Alek Manoah said that “pressure’s something you put in your tires.” In his postseason debut, he was hit hard by the Seattle Mariners.
The Toronto Blue Jays made their return to the postseason after missing out last year. They clinched the top Wild Card berth in the American League, and hosted the Seattle Mariners for their Wild Card series matchup.
Pitcher Alek Manoah was named the Game 1 starter, and was asked by the media about the pressure of playing in the postseason. Manoah said that his high school coach used to say “pressure’s something you put in your tires.” As it turns out, that funny quote has come back to haunt him.
Manoah was pulled in the sixth inning, after surrendering four earned runs on four hits.
Blue Jays: Alek Manoah’s ‘pressure’ quote aged poorly
The top of the first inning was a rough one for Manoah. On the fourth pitch thrown, Manoah hit Mariners rookie Julio Rodriguez with a pitch. Rodriguez was later brought home on an RBI double by Eugenio Suarez. In the very next at-bat, Manoah surrendered a two-run homer to Cal Raleigh to extend Seattle’s lead to 3-0 with just one out recorded.
In the top of the fifth inning, Manoah surrendered his fourth earned run after a force out hit by Suarez allowed Rodriguez to score.
Jayson Stark of The Athletic unveiled an interesting stat. Throughout the regular season, Manoah surrendered just one home run and four extra base hits while facing 133 batters in the first inning. But in his postseason debut, he gave up one home run and two extra base hits after facing six batters.
Manoah’s day ended in 5.2 innings, recording four strikeouts and one walk.
The Blue Jays lost Game 1 4-0. They face the Mariners in Game 2 on Saturday, Oct. 8.