Sean Manaea hadn't pitched in a major league game in more than a year. Now, he was facing the AL-best New York Yankees in their home ballpark.
More than 11 months after undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery, Manaea made his return Sunday and looked like he hadn't missed a beat. The A's left-hander tossed five scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and three walks with five strikeouts in Oakland's 5-4 loss to New York.
"It felt awesome," Manaea told reporters. "It's been a long road back. It's crazy how much stuff has happened since last year. I'm thankful that I've gone through this rehab process with an open mind and just trying to work on things and get back to playing shape, so I'm happy with how things turned out."
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Manaea's fastball velocity and command were especially good. The 27-year-old sat between 91 and 93 mph, even hitting 94 in the first inning. All three of his walks came in the fifth inning, when fatigue began to set in.
"Fastball command was good and slider, up until that last inning, I thought was really good," Manaea said. "Changeup was kind of iffy. But overall, up until that last inning, everything was in sync and I felt strong. That last inning, I definitely ran out of gas and that led to me throwing the ball all over the place."
Manager Bob Melvin lauded the young left-hander's effort.
Oakland Athletics
"That's a great start for him," Melvin said. "He pitched really well, really effectively. Good with everything -- changeup, slider. Velo was good. In the fifth, the velo kind of came down a little bit and he walked three guys. But really, that's all we were looking to get from him and, boy, he's got to feel good about that."
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Manaea gives the A's a sixth starter for the month of September. It also gives them the flexibility to move another starter to the bullpen, if necessary.
But for now, Manaea is just glad he passed his first big test.
"I'm definitely happy with how things turned out," he said. "Obviously, the last inning wasn't great. But to go five shutout innings against these guys is huge and I felt like I put the team in a good position to win, so that's all that really matters."