JUPITER, Fla. — After a huge haircut, Sean Manaea did much better Saturday than he did in his Grapefruit League debut with the Mets.
Mr. Manaea, who had grown his thick hair over the past four years until it fell below his shoulders and stood out on the outside, unveiled the clean cut to an opponent for the first time since the purge.
“It’s a lot easier,” Manaea said after pitching four scoreless innings in the Mets’ 9-3 exhibition victory over the Cardinals at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. “I don’t have any hair in my eyes. It’s a little cooler. [on the mound].
“I just thought it was time. [for the haircut]. It was a fun ride. I got through it well, but I have to adapt and change. ”
The left-hander threw 61 pitches, allowing two hits, three walks, and five strikeouts.
In his debut against the Marlins last Saturday, he pitched 2/3 innings, allowing three earned runs on seven hits.
The day after that game started, Manaea got a haircut and shaved his beard, and coach Carlos Mendoza announced to the assembled media that the team had a new player.
Manaea’s new look initially made his teammates wary.
“It’s just the reaction on everyone’s faces, it’s funny,” Manaea said. “It’s a very dramatic change.”
On this day, he averaged 93.5 mph on his four-seam fastball, up from 92.6 mph a week ago.
Manaea hit a top speed of 95.3 mph and recorded nine swings and whiffs overall.
“I think everything went really well, except for the walk. My slider took a little while to control, but everything else felt good,” Manaea said.
In the final inning, Manaea relied primarily on offspeed pitches. He accepted every signal he received from catcher Omar Narvaez, he said.
The performance was a good measure for Manaea considering he was up against a Cardinals lineup that included starting pitchers Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado and Willson Contreras.
Brandon Crawford was also in the lineup as a DH in the Cardinals’ exhibition debut.
“I thought [Manaea] It was really good in a lot of ways,” Mendoza said. “Not only was he able to throw up to 61 pitches in four innings, but he was also able to use his cutter, changeup and four-seam for up to 95 pitches.” [mph] …The way we attacked the strike zone was good. ”
Manaea’s appearance was the latest strong performance by Mets starting pitchers.
Last night, Luis Severino pitched three shutout innings with four strikeouts against the Marlins.
Severino has not allowed an earned run in his two starts this spring.
The Mets have also seen strong performances this spring from Tyler Megill, who is a candidate to enter the starting rotation at the start of the season in place of right-hander Kodai Chiga, who is undergoing rehabilitation for a strained right shoulder.
Asked what he’s seen from this Mets rotation, Manaea said, “It’s been unbelievable so far.” “As a staff, we attack the zone, stay ahead of our opponents instead of walking them, and limit damage.”
Manaea arrived on a two-year deal worth $28 million (the only multi-year deal the Mets gave to free agents over the winter), providing a second left-hander to the rotation in addition to Jose Quintana.
Manaea bounced back in the second half with the Giants last season after picking up speed.
Manaea averaged 93.6 mph on his four-seamer last season.
A year ago, his pitch velocity averaged just 91.3 mph.
“As long as I feel healthy, [velocity] I’m going to be there and if I can stay where I am today, that’s where I want to be,” Manaea said.
