Manaea Tallies Nine Strikeouts, Blows a Kiss

Before Jesse Winker stole the show with his walk-off home run, Sean Manaea put on a performance that brought the 32,871 at Citi Field to their feet as well.

The first-year Met retired the first 17 batters he faced before hitting Jackson Holliday and giving up a two-run homer to Austin Slater, losing his perfect game and shutout in a span of two batters.

“It’s hard not to think about that stuff,” Manaea, who threw a no-hitter for the Oakland Athletics in 2018, he said after the game. “Definitely going through my mind.”

Manaea ended his day going 7+ innings, leaving after an infield single in the eighth. He struck out nine, walked none and blew a kiss to the appreciative crowd on his way to the dugout. He was asked after the game how he felt about New York.

Manaea has now gone at least seven innings in six starts since July 1st, which leads MLB.

“Loving it. Everything about it,” he said. “City, the people, teammates. Organization. Love everything about it.”

Manaea leads the Mets in wins (9), strikeouts (138) and is tied with Luis Severino for most quality starts with 10. The Mets are 17-8 in his 25 starts. His 3.48 ERA is 11th in the National League, and it would be the lowest for his nine-year career, excluding 2019, when he made only five starts.

“It’s just the unique angle,” Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “He’s tall, across his body, kind of Chris Sale slot. He’s throwing a ton of strikes, and we just had a tough time getting hits against him.”

The ovation Wednesday wasn’t his first.

“It’s incredible,” Manaea said last Friday after tossing seven innings of three-run ball in a win over the Miami Marlins. “This game is very finicky. And you know, be able to have a good outing in front of the home crowd is incredible. And feel the love. So a very special moment.”

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