While Gerrit Cole is off to a dominant start due to exceptional command, Alek Manoah is struggling to find his mechanics.Cole hopes to maintain his impressive start Saturday afternoon when his New York Yankees oppose Manoah and the Toronto Blue Jays in the middle game of a three-game series at Yankee Stadium.
The Yankees are trying to avoid their first series loss after Toronto recorded a 6-1 victory on Friday. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a two-run homer in the first inning and Brandon Belt later added a two-run homer and a two-run double.
Cole (4-0, 0.95 ERA) heads into Saturday as the first pitcher in team history to record at least 30 strikeouts with a sub-1.00 ERA through his first four outings since earned runs were first recorded in 1913. He notched 10 strikeouts on Sunday when he threw a 108-pitch two-hitter in a 2-0 home win over the Minnesota Twins for his 23rd double-digit strikeout game as a Yankee, tying Ron Guidry's team record.
Manoah (1-1, 6.98 ERA) has been tagged for 15 runs while allowing four homers and 15 walks in 19 1/3 innings. Last year while finishing third in the AL Cy Young Award race, Manoah served up 16 homers and issued 51 walks in 196 2/3 innings.
On Sunday, Manoah matched career worsts by allowing seven runs and nine hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Cole is 6-2 with a 3.75 ERA in 12 career starts against Toronto. He was 1-1 with a 5.00 ERA in three starts against them last season, including April 13, 2022, in New York, when he allowed two of Guerrero's three homers.
Manoah is 2-1 with a 2.31 ERA in six career starts against the Yankees and is opposing Cole for the first time, though the two pitchers share a history of verbal barbs stemming from an incident last Aug. 21 in New York.