Ian Miller
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Boston Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo is not a fan of Blue Jays pitcher Alek Manoah.
Verdugo, not exactly known for being the most subtle of baseball players, appeared on a baseball podcast and had some harsh words for Manoah’s style on the mound.
The 26-year-old said that he believes Manoah shows up opposing players when celebrating. To Verdugo, that’s a bridge too far.
“If it’s a genuine reaction and it’s for the boys, not directed towards somebody, then yeah (it’s fine),” he told the “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast.
Verdugo is known for celebrating towards his own dugout, but to him, Manoah does it “the wrong way.”
“I’ll say it right now, I think Alek Manoah goes about it the wrong way. 100 percent I think he does,” Verdugo said.
The beef between the two apparently extends as far back as the minor leagues. Verdugo said it “pisses [him] off” to see Manoah’s gestures towards hitters.
“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.”
Manoah Loves Talking Trash
Verdugo certainly has a point that Manoah is known for talking trash on the mound.
Last summer he struck out Red Sox hitter Bobby Dalbec and had a fairly, shall we say, animated reaction afterwards.
But it’s hard to call Manoah out specifically for celebrating when so many of the league’s players now do similar things.
Verdugo has a point that directing celebrations at opposing players is different than looking into your own dugout. But MLB has been encouraging players to show more personality and emotion. Both players have certainly taken that message to heart.
Manoah does seem to be exceptionally good at trash talking, and that’s always going to rub some players the wrong way. The problem with admitting it, as Verdugo did, is it’s likely only going to make Manoah talk even more.
