Manoah’s debut for Jays a big winner

BLANKS YANKEES

Alek Manoah made an impressive major league debut Thursday when he allowed just two hits in six innings as the Toronto Blue Jays recorded a 2-0 victory over the New York Yankees in the first game of a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium.

Marcus Semien and Bo Bichette hit back-to-back homers off Domingo German (4-3) with two outs in the third but the story was Manoah, the first pitcher from the 2019 draft to reach the majors.

Manoah (1-0) struck out seven and walked two. The 23-year-old right-hander’s fastball topped out at 97.3 miles per hour and he got 13 swings and misses.

The 11th overall pick out of West Virginia had his own cheering section along the third base side in the second deck and his fans were hanging on each of his 88 pitches. Among his supporters was his mother, whom television cameras caught crying while Manoah threw his first pitches.

Manoah started the outing by walking DJ Lemahieu but got strikeouts of Rougned Odor and Aaron

Judge in the first. He ended the third by whiffing Lemahieu and Odor.

The Jays hurler allowed both hits to Miguel Andujar, who singled in the second and fifth. After allowing Andujar’s second hit, he fanned Brett Gardner and Kyle Higashioka to end the fifth.

Manoah issued a one-out walk to Odor in the sixth but got Judge on a flyout and Gleyber Torres on a groundout to end the frame. Jordan Romano tossed a perfect seventh for his second save. With the victory, the Blue Jays clinched their third series victory in as many tries over the Yankees this season.

In the second game, Jays starter Robbie Ray (2-2) gave up homers to Judge and Gary Sanchez as New York won 5-3.

Bichette hit a three-run homer for the Jays in the nightcap, giving him two dingers for the day.

Reliever Jonathan Loaisiga (4-2) was the winner for the Yankees.