LOS ANGELES — Welcome to the final stop on the Sean Manaea Redemption Tour.
The left-handed pitcher entered the playoffs with a 15.26 ERA in three postseason games.
In his first pitch in October of this year, he held the Brewers to just two runs in five innings, dispelling concerns that he was not suited for big games.
Manaea made his second start against the Phillies in October of this year, but this game was a game in which he gave up five runs in 1/3 of an inning in the 2022 National League, and Manaea was upset and wondered what the problem was. He was sent to the Pitching Factory's drive line to find out what happened.
Manaea then held the Phillies to just one run in seven-plus innings, winning Game 3 of the NLDS.
His final shot at what he hopes will be a clean sweep will be against the Dodgers, the team that has completely owned him during his career.
Manaea spent the previous two years with the Padres and Giants in the National League West, enjoying watching the Dodgers often and rarely, posting a 7.09 ERA in 11 games with Los Angeles.
Manaea wants to rewrite one more chapter.
“Some teams have been wearing my number for years,” said Manaea, who will receive the ball in Game 2 of the NLCS. “And I feel like I had to do it. The baseball gods gave me the opportunity to go out there and prove it over and over again to be able to find good results.” It was given to me.”
“And this team is no exception.”
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This team is different in other ways as well. Mookie Betts is 3 home runs in 32 at bats against Manaea and has a career OPS of 1.153. Despite being left-handed versus left-handed, Freddie Freeman pitched well (.839 OPS). Shohei Ohtani played against him nine times and got on base four times. Will Smith had 9 hits for 18 at bats against Manaea.
Of course, Manaea can convincingly argue that these numbers were accumulated against another pitcher. He's throwing harder than, say, the 2022 version. He added a sweeper that Manaea didn't throw in early 2023. This year, he changed his arm angle midway through the season and made dominant starts in 10 games from late July to mid-September, posting an ERA of 2.49 while pitching an average of 6.5 innings per start.
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“I'm definitely down,” Manaea said of the difference between himself now and when he played against the Dodgers in April. “And the mechanical stuff is different, the pitch is pretty much the same.
“Overall, I feel a little more confident in myself and myself.”
Just as Manaea found himself, the Mets found their ace. When he takes the mound on Monday, he'll have another chance to prove he's not the pitcher he used to be.
“Obviously they're a very talented team and I've played against them many times throughout my career,” Manaea said before the series began at Dodger Stadium on Sunday. “There have been some good things, but there have definitely been a lot of bad things.
“I just want to go out there and do my best to give my guys a chance to win.”
