Blue Jays pitcher Alek Manoah makes MLB debut as mom is overcome with emotion

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Highly regarded pitching prospect Alek Manoah made his major league debut Thursday for the Toronto Blue Jays in storybook fashion — against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. 

After walking the first batter he faced, infielder DJ LeMahieu, on four pitches, Manoah registered his first strikeout when he got Yankees second baseman Rougned Odor to whiff on a changeup.

While that was a nice moment, Manoah, 23, showed little emotion as he also fanned Aaron Judge in tossing a scoreless first inning. On the other hand, in the stands, Manoah’s mom was unable to contain her excitement while watching her son perform.

© Frank Franklin II, AP Blue Jays right-hander Alek Manoah delivers a pitch during his major league debut against the New York Yankees on Thursday.

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After a dominant start to the season at Class AAA Buffalo — allowing one earned run in 18 innings and striking out 27 over three starts (0.50 ERA) Manoah only found out on Monday he’d be getting the call to the majors.

Naturally, his mom was the first person he wanted to tell the news, but he told reporters on Tuesday that she repeatedly didn’t answer when he tried to contact her on FaceTime.

From her reaction to her son’s first strikeout in the majors, it definitely wasn’t because of a lack of interest. 

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Over six innings, Manoah struck out seven, allowed only two hits and got credit for the win as the Jays defeated the Yankees 2-0 in the first game of their doubleheader.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Blue Jays pitcher Alek Manoah makes MLB debut as mom is overcome with emotion