Toronto Blue Jays: Alek Manoah makes excuse while not making excuses

If a person says that they are not going to make excuses, and the word “but” follows, they are making excuses. Such was the case with Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Alek Manoah on Sunday when he discussed the balls during his outing.

Manoah had gotten rid of a few new balls during his start. He stated that the balls themselves were “terrible” and inconsistent, complaining that some laces were “huge” and others were “fluffy.” He did not want to use that as an excuse for his outing, but he clearly felt that the balls provided were a factor.

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Alek Manoah latest to complain about balls

Manoah is not the only player to have such a complaint. Chris Bassitt had already complained about the balls, saying they are hard to grip and claiming they are part of why Mets players are getting hit so much. Batters say that hitting these balls is like hitting a rolled up sock. Seemingly no one is pleased with these new balls.

It was not as though Manoah had a terrible start on Sunday. He allowed two runs on five hits and a walk over his five innings, striking out three batters. While he was not exactly efficient, having thrown 95 pitches, and had a season low in strikeouts, he still had a solid showing.

Nonetheless, the quality of the baseball itself is a concern. It is also concerning that the league feels a need to change the baseball from year to year instead of going with one set ball and core density. But that is its own separate ranting.

At this point, the baseballs may actually be in the pitcher’s heads. Those differences are likely there, but they may be magnified by all the attention that is being given to them. It also gives the pitchers a ready-made excuse, even if they claim not to be looking for one as Manoah did.

Alex Manoah says that he is not using the new balls as an excuse although he is doing so. The Toronto Blue Jays pitcher will not be the last to have a gripe about those new balls.