By Pete Cava
PBR Indiana Correspondent 

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Sean Manaea became the 371^st Indiana native to play major league baseball Friday (April 29) when the 24-year-old lefthander started for the Athletics against the Houston Astros at Oakland’s O.co Coliseum. 

On Thursday the A’s recalled Manaea from Nashville (AAA Pacific Coast), where the 6-foot-5, 245-pound left-hander was 2-0 with a 1.50 earned run average after three starts.  

Manaea ended the top of the first by fanning Carlos Correa for his first big league strikeout.  The Valparaiso native gave up one run through his first five frames and took a 2-1 lead into the top of the sixth.  

When Houston opened the inning with three consecutive hits to knot the score, A’s skipper Bob Melvin went to his bullpen.  Sean Doolittle entered the contest and gave up two more runs, both charged to Manaea.  

Oakland tied the score with a two-run eighth inning and won in the bottom of the ninth on Yonder Alonso’s three-run walk-off homer.    

The line for Manaea, whose fastball touched 95 mph, included four hits, four runs (all earned), four walks and three strikeouts.  

“Running to the mound for the first time, seeing the stands filled with people and the whole place going crazy, I can’t put it into words,” Manaea told reporters afterwards.  “That was everything I dreamed it would be.” 

Indiana’s newest major league baseball player is the son of Opal and Faaloloi Manaea of Wanatah, Ind.  Sean’s father, who grew up in American Samoa, settled in the Hoosier State and worked for Inland Steel after serving with the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.  

Sean spent his first three high school years at South Central in Union Mills, where he also lettered in football.  Before his senior year he transferred to Andrean in Merrillville, where he played for Indiana Hall of Fame coach Dave Pishkur.  

In the fall of 2010 Manaea enrolled at Indiana State.  He developed into a headliner after his sophomore year, playing for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks of the Cape Cod League.  He won pitcher-of-the-year honors, leading the circuit in innings (52) and strikeouts (85) while ranking second in ERA (1.22).  

“I saw maybe four balls squared up all year off him,” Hyannis manager Chad Gassman told Baseball America.  “It was almost like he put it on autopilot and said, ‘I’ll see you in the eighth inning.’”

As a junior in 2013, Manaea went 5-4 with a 1.47 ERA and the Kansas City Royals selected him with a supplemental first-round pick (34^th overall).  He signed for a reported $3.5 million and joined the Wilmington Blue Rocks (high-A Carolina). 

On July 28, 2015, the Royals sent Manaea and right-hander Aaron Brooks to Oakland for second baseman-outfielder Ben Zobrist.  Manaea finished the year at Midland (AA Texas), going 6-0 for the RockHounds with a 1.90 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 43 innings.  

Heading into this season, Baseball America rated Manaea as Oakland’s No. 2 prospect behind shortstop Franklin Barreto.  Manaea was one of 20 non-roster players invited to the A’s spring camp.  “He has really good stuff,” catcher Carson Blair told reporters after Manaea’s first outing. “His ball is really heavy. He kept it down in the zone, and they mostly beat it into the ground.” 

The star of the game that marked Manaea’s debut, Yonder Alonso, praised the man known as The Throwin’ Samoan.  “I was very impressed with him,” Alonso told reporters. “He had a lot of first strikes, which is key.  He was in command of the game.  His poise was incredible.  He was in control.  I look forward to seeing him for the long haul.” 

Manaea is expected to start again Wednesday (May 4) against Seattle.  He joins catcher Josh Phegley as one of two Hoosiers on Oakland’s roster.  Phegley, a Terre Haute native, was drafted out of Indiana University. 

Manaea is the second Indiana-born player to debut in the majors this year.  Outfielder Jeremy Hazelbaker (Muncie) broke in with the St. Louis Cardinals on April 3. 

There are now 21 Hoosier natives in the big leagues, including two managers, a pair of coaches and 17 players (including four currently on their team’s disabled lists).