OAKLAND — Sean Manaea sat at his locker, head hanging low. Uncharacteristic for the perpetually jovial left-hander.
One-by-one teammates and coaches crouched down to his side, hoping to pick his head up just an inch. One of those teammates? Jesús Luzardo, the 22-year-old just a few days into his big league career with decades-worth of perspective and clarity to offer his teammate.
“Don’t forget who you are,” Luzardo told Manaea. “You’re the man, you’ve always been the man, don’t let one bad outing drown your thoughts.”
Up until the first couple innings in Wednesday’s Wild Card game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Manaea was fulfilling his “the man” duties masterfully.