One Large Step Forward

When righthander Alek Manoah takes the mound for West Virginia, there is a presence about him that’s easy to notice.

Maybe it’s the 6-foot-6, 260-pound, defensive lineman-like stature from the South Florida native. Or it could be the routine he performs behind the mound before his first pitch, when he stands about 10 feet behind the mound and prays, asking for “his angels to keep him safe and whether he is good or bad that day that he learns from his experience.” Then, as he quickly