A Milestone for Sean Manaea

It’s been six hundred and thirty-nine days since Sean Manaea last pitched a full seven innings in a game. Can you believe it? In that span, he managed to go six innings only once and fives a few times. The last time he reached the seven-inning mark was way back on October 8, 2024, during the NLDS against the Phillies.

But Thursday marked a turning point. Despite giving up a home run right at the start, Manaea delivered his strongest performance of the season: a solid seven innings in the Mets’ 7-3 victory over the Royals. He allowed three runs, two of which were earned, issued just one walk, and struck out six batters.

“He wanted to show up and be a workhorse,” Mets manager Andy Green commented. “Even after allowing a home run on the first pitch, he came back strong all day. That resilience is impressive.” He added, “He was phenomenal. This was crucial for us. We’ve been doing a lot of bullpen work, so having someone give us seven strong innings was a real relief.”

The lack of height among the starting pitchers has been a consistent challenge for the Mets this season, and that hasn’t changed recently. It’s a little concerning, really.

Meanwhile, it wasn’t just Manaea’s performance that stood out. Christian Scott pitched only four innings in his last game against the Braves on July 3, and a few days later, Freddy Peralta did the same. So, it’s refreshing to see Manaea break that pattern. With him handling seven innings, it made things much easier for the bullpen. Huascar Brazoban and Devin Williams combined to pitch two scoreless innings afterward, sealing the Mets’ victory.

“We need that kind of depth in the rotation,” Green reflected. “A performance like this not only helps today, but it sets us up for the next game, too. That’s what we’ve been lacking somewhat—consistently being able to lean on pitchers for multiple trips in one week.”

Manaea’s performance was especially noteworthy considering he allowed a home run to Lane Thomas on the very first pitch. But he quickly regained his composure and forced Tyler Tolbert to ground out, efficiently handling the second and third innings. It was quite an achievement, especially following a game where the team had tied an MLB record with twelve consecutive hits.

Sure, he allowed another solo shot to Bobby Witt Jr. in the fourth inning, but after that, he retired the next five batters without incident. That’s pretty impressive.

In the seventh inning, when the Royals had a chance to kind of inch their way back into the game—thanks to a single, an error, a double, and a walk—Manaea managed to limit them to just one run, maintaining a 6-3 lead for the Mets.

Reflecting on the game, Manaea said, “It’s the result of a lot of hard work, and it feels really rewarding to have the whole team come together like this again.” It’s moments like these that remind you how much goes into a single game. Overall, a welcome change for him and for the Mets.