Toronto Blue Jays ace Alek Manoah exudes confidence every time he’s on the mound, sometimes to the dislike of his MLB peers.
Add Boston Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo to that list.
Verdugo is by no means an enemy to players that celebrate and show swagger on the baseball diamond. He’s flashy with his multiple chains and has shown emotion himself.
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Alex Verdugo #99 of the Boston Red Sox walks into the dugout before a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 4, 2023 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
But, talking with Audacy’s “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast, Verdugo explained why Manoah’s actions don’t fly in his eyes, believing that Manoah’s actions on the mound are directed at players.
“If it’s a genuine reaction and it’s for the boys, not directed towards somebody, then yeah (it’s fine),” he explained.
“I’ll say it right now, I think Alek Manoah goes about it the wrong way. 100% I think he does.”
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There was a specific instance Verdugo pointed out in July 2022, where his Red Sox teammate Bobby Dalbec was called out on strikes, which Manoah celebrated by pounding his chest with his glove and staring at the Sox dugout.
Then, Manoah could be seeing yelling, “Why don’t you sit down, b—h,” toward Dalbec. And in the same game, he yelled “Sit the f—- down” to Franchy Cordero after a strike out as well.
“You can find videos, footage of him in Triple-A going like this (gesturing) to hitters. Last year, telling [Red Sox players], ‘Go sit,’ s— like that, and looking right at them. So it’s s— like that just pisses me off. It’s not the way it should be played.”
Where’s the fine line for Verdugo?
Alek Manoah #6 of the Toronto Blue Jays reacts after the seventh inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on September 24, 2022 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
“It should be played like you’re celebrating it with your team, you’re not f—ing disrespecting another player who is — at the end of the day we’re just trying to compete, that’s it.”
Manoah addressed Verdugo’s comments on Tuesday, saying, “I don’t give a s—. My job is to pitch and get guys out,” via the Toronto Sun.
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Manoah has made his rivals around MLB, especially in the AL East division where both the Red Sox and Blue Jays play.
The New York Yankees have also been a source of trash talk for Manoah, who called Gerrit Cole the biggest cheater in the game this offseason. He also egged on Cole to do more after the latter jumped out of the dugout when the former hit Aaron Judge with a pitch during a game last season.
Alek Manoah #6 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches to the Seattle Mariners during the first inning in Game One of their AL Wild Card series at Rogers Centre on October 7, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Mark Blinch/Getty Images)
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Manoah’s mindset won’t be changing anytime soon despite the line Verdugo thinks he’s crossing. That could make for some drama when the Red Sox and Blue Jays meet each other for the first time of the 2023 season from May 1-4 in Boston.
