Toronto Blue Jays' Alek Manoah Looks to Continue Historic Dominance vs. Red Sox

Right-hander Alek Manoah is scheduled to start for the Toronto Blue Jays against the Boston Red Sox on Friday night, giving him a chance to extend a historic hot streak against a division rival.

Manoah is 4-1 with a 1.71 ERA and 1.024 WHIP in seven career starts against the Red Sox. The 25-year-old hurler owns a 4.0 strikeout-to-walk ratio when he faces Boston.

According to OptaSTATS, Manoah boasts the lowest ERA versus the Red Sox by any pitcher in the live ball era with at least seven starts against Boston.

Former New York Giants, Detroit Tigers and Washington Senators righty Eric Erickson is the only other starter with a career ERA under 2.00 against the Red Sox, but he pitched his last game in 1922. The rest of the top five didn't pitch in the majors past 1933.

Among the 739 pitchers with at least seven starts against the Red Sox in the live-ball era (since 1920), Alek Manoah has the lowest ERA when facing Boston (1.71). pic.twitter.com/CrTkN28UET
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) August 4, 2023

Manoah broke onto the scene in 2021, going 9-2 with a 3.22 ERA, a 1.048 WHIP and 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings. He finished eighth in AL Rookie of the Year voting.

The following season, Manoah made his first All-Star Game and finished third in AL Cy Young voting. The right-hander went 16-7 with a 2.24 ERA and 0.994 WHIP.

Manoah has not been quite as productive in 2023, going 2-8 with a 5.87 ERA and 1.787 WHIP.

One of Manoah's better outings of the season came when he allowed two earned runs in 5.0 innings against the Red Sox on May 3. Boston added three unearned runs on top of that, though, capitalizing on four Toronto errors to stick Manoah with his first loss against the franchise.

Friday's first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET. While the Blue Jays lead the Red Sox by 2.0 games for the third and final AL Wild Card spot, Boston stringing together a the sweep at Fenway Park this weekend would flip their places in the standings.

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