


Alex Verdugo isn’t a fan of Alek Manoah.
The Red Sox outfielder called out the Blue Jays ace for disrespecting players on the mound — and recalled a specific incident last season, where he wasn’t happy with Manoah’s theatrics.
“If it’s a genuine reaction and it’s for the boys, not directed towards somebody, then yeah (it’s fine),” Verdugo, 26, said on Audacy’s “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast.
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“I’ll say it right now, I think Alek Manoah goes about it the wrong way. 100 percent I think he does.
“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—t like that, and looking right at them. So it’s s—t 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 f—ing disrespecting another player who is — at the end of the day we’re just trying to compete, that’s it.”
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Verdugo was alluding to an incident in July 2022, when Manoah appeared to curse at Boston infielder Bobby Dalbec and designated hitter Franchy Cordero (now with the Yankees) after striking them out back-to-back in Toronto’s 4-1 victory.
“Why don’t you sit down, bi–h,” Manoah yelled at Dalbec while walking off the mound. “Go sit down bi–h.”
Prior to that, Manoah yelled “Sit the f–k down” when he struck out Cordero with an 82 mph slider.
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The 25-year-old Manoah, who’s known for his animated presence on the mound, fired back at Verdugo while addressing his comments on Tuesday.
“Coming from him? I don’t give a s–t,” Manoah told the Toronto Sun. “My job is to pitch and get guys out.”
Verdugo and Manoah will face off again during Toronto’s four-game series at Fenway Park from May 1-4.
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In separate incident in August 2022, Manoah had Yankees fans riled up after he hit New York slugger Aaron Judge with a pitch — which prompted Gerrit Cole to exit the dugout to confront Manoah.
The Blue Jays and Yankees will meet for the first time this season during a three-game series in the Bronx later this month.
Manoah posted a 16-7 record with a 2.24 ERA and 180 strikeouts last season.
The Red Sox, who were defeated by the Pirates on Monday and Tuesday, finish the three-game series Wednesday.
Toronto is tied with the Royals 1-1 in their four-game series, with the third contest on Wednesday in Kansas City.