Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Alek Manoah revealed that he got the news about Shohei Ohtani's signing with the LA Dodgers just moments before walking down the aisle at his wedding.
There was a period of time during the offseason when the Blue Jays were rumored to be favorites to sign the Japanese phenom, and it was right around the time that the Toronto pitcher was getting married. Manoah told The Athletic that the final news of Ohtani's decision was conveyed to him by his father on his wedding day.
Alek Manoah was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2019 MLB draft and went on to make his major league debut with them in 2021. The following season, he made the All-Stars and ended the season with impressive numbers. This led to high expectations in 2022, but he unfortunately failed to live up to them with a horrible year.
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In the 2023 season, Manoah was demoted twice and didn't take it well the second time around, refusing to turn up for training with the AAA Buffalo. Nonetheless, his year could be huge for him if he can get back to his best and reestablish himself as a starter for the Blue Jays.
In the build-up to the season, the right-handed pitcher spoke to The Athletic about Ohtani's rumored move to the Blue Jays during the offseason:
“Right before I was going to go walk down the aisle, my dad was like: ‘We didn't get Ohtani. He signed with the Dodgers.' And I was like, ‘Damn, that sucks.'"
Alek Manoah struggles in first Spring Training start of the season
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Alek Manoah made his first Spring Training start of the year in Tuesday's 6-4 loss to the Detroit Tigers, and it did not go as well as he would have liked.
In 38 pitches, he hit three batters and only recorded 17 strikes. However, he did show an increased velocity, reaching the mid-90s, which will be encouraging for the Toronto pitching coaches. While he was the breakout star for them in 2022, a return to that kind of form could be a huge boost to the Blue Jays in the upcoming MLB season.
