Boston Red Sox slugger Alex Verdugo is a fan of emotion in baseball. But he says Toronto Blue Jays ace Alek Manoah "goes about it the wrong way."
Speaking on the Baseball Isn't Boring podcast, Verdugo said he thinks it's good for baseball when players celebrate big moments with teammates. But he singled out Manoah — a pitcher known for yelling toward home plate after strikeouts — as someone who crosses the line.
“If it's a genuine reaction and it’s for the boys, not directed towards somebody, then yeah (it’s fine),” Verdugo said. “Like, I’ll say it right now, I think Alek Manoah goes about it the wrong way, 100 per cent I think he does. You can find videos of him, footage of him in triple-A going like this to hitters. Last year, telling Franchy and Bobby like go sit, (expletive) like that and looking right at them.
“So, it’s like, like that just pisses me off. It’s not the way it should be played. It should be played like you’re celebrating it with your team, you’re not (expletive) disrespecting another player who is — at the end of the day, we’re just trying to compete, that’s it.”
Verdugo was specifically referencing a game in July when Manoah appeared to fire insults to Red Sox batters after striking them out.
Manoah, speaking to Postmedia's Rob Longley before Tuesday's game in Kansas City, responded to Verdugo's comments.
“Coming from him? I don’t give a (expletive)," Manoah said. “My job is to pitch and get guys out.”
After the Blue Jays' win on Tuesday, manager John Schneider said he doesn't expect Verdugo's words to affect Manoah when he makes his second start of the season on Wednesday.
"I don't think much at all. We're facing Kansas City tomorrow. He's focused on getting those guys out. So really no comment on that at all," Schneider said.
Manoah also had a brief feud with Gerrit Cole in 2022 after the New York Yankees ace yelled from the dugout after the Jays right-hander hit Aaron Judge with a pitch.
After that game, Cole said he was more upset by the hit-by-pitch than at Manoah himself, but added, "He wasn't yelling at us today."
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