Blue Jay's Ace Alek Manoah Gives Fiery Response To Alex Verdugo's Criticism

'Coming from him? I don't give a (expletive)'

Scott Neville | Apr 5, 2023

Blue Jay's Ace Alek Manoah Gives Fiery Response To Alex Verdugo's Criticism /

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A feud is blossoming between two young stars in the American League East.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo called out Toronto Blue Jays ace Alek Manoah for his on-field antics -- particularly yelling at batters after striking them out.

Based on Manoah's reaction, he doesn't sound very open to suggestions.

“Coming from him? I don’t give a (expletive)," Manoah told Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun. "My job is to pitch and get guys out.”

Verdugo's initial comments regarding what kind of celebrations are acceptable appeared to be reasonable but Manoah had no time for it.

“If it’s a genuine reaction and it’s for the boys, not directed towards somebody, then yeah (it’s fine),” Verdugo told Rob Bradford on “Baseball Isn’t Boring” on Tuesday, as transcribed by Audacy’s Logan Mullen.

“Like I’ll say it right now, I think Alek Manoah goes about it the wrong way, 100% I think he does. You can find videos of him, footage of him in Triple-A (gesturing) to hitters. Last year, telling Franchy (Cordero) and Bobby (Dalbec) like go sit, (expletive) like that and looking right at them."

There's a clear difference between firing up your own bench and cussing out the opposition. If Manoah is going to talk trash, he should do so against top-tier competition. Putting down Dalbec and Cordero after besting them is just lame -- two guys who strike out as much as anyone.

It's also a lot easier to talk trash after the strikeout, when you've already won the matchup. Manoah brings great energy to the game and should continue to be expressive -- but he can do so without crossing the line with players who have no beef with him.

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Published Apr 5, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu