Inside The Red Sox

Red Sox's Alex Verdugo Doesn't Mince Words Calling Out Alek Manoah's Antics

'I’ll say it right now, I think Alek Manoah goes about it the wrong way'

Scott Neville

Red Sox's Alex Verdugo Doesn't Mince Words Calling Out Alek Manoah's Antics
Red Sox's Alex Verdugo Doesn't Mince Words Calling Out Alek Manoah's Antics /
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Boston Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo is known for being eccentric and appears to be stepping up his celebrations even more since returning from the World Baseball Classic -- something he's displayed after his Opening Day triple and his first home run of the season one game later. 

Verdugo absolutely is pro-celebration in baseball and welcomes all the new changes to written and unwritten rules over the last few years. That said, he does believe you can cross the line, and surprisingly named an American League East opponent who does so.

“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 going like this to hitters. Last year, telling Franchy and Bobby like go sit, (expletive) like that and looking right at them.

Verdugo's memory would serve him right, as Manoah created drama by yelling at both former Red Sox outfielder/first baseman Franchy Cordero and first baseman Bobby Dalbec.

Verdugo's take on the matter appears to line up with the majority of Major League Baseball. There's a clear difference between celebrating a feat and putting down the opposition. 

Manoah is good for the game -- the disrespectful moments probably are too in terms of generating buzz -- but the Blue Jay's ace should refrain from yelling in the face of hitters with 30% or higher strikeout rates. 

The Blue Jays come to Boston for a four-game set starting May 1. It'll be interesting to see if these comments spark a rivalry between the two star players.

More MLB: Ex-Red Sox Hurler Shines In Yankees Debut One Day After MLB Promotion

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Scott Neville
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

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