Such was the case in the bottom of the second inning of the AL vs. NL showdown, in which Blue Jays pitcher Alek Manoah was mic’d up while pitching to his own catcher, Alejandro Kirk.
Manoah ultimately struck out the side between conversing with Joe Davis and John Smoltz, who also gave him calls from time to time. Alas, he was unable to sit down his National League opponents in order due to a miscall from Smoltz, who told him to throw a backfoot slider to Jeff McNeil that hit the Mets second baseman.
MORE: Shohei Ohtani delivers on ‘first pitch, first swing’
Manoah seemed to be having a blast on the mound, yelling “don’t flinch” on a two-seam on the inside corner and “right down the middle!” after striking out Ronald Acuña Jr. on a bad miss over the plate.
Manoah and Kirk’s chemistry was also noted, with Davis and Smoltz remarking the pitcher didn’t have to shake him off often.
Ultimately, it was a successful inning for Manoah, who has earned ace status throughout the season for Toronto.
It was a fun perspective to have during the Midsummer Classic.
After striking out the side, maybe Manoah will ask to be mic’d up every game.
