Some early-season animosity is already brewing between the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays.
It began when Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo spoke out against Blue Jays pitcher Alek Manoah, publicizing his displeasure for the "wrong" celebratory antics that the 25-year-old All-Star displayed last season, specifically against Boston hitters.
Verdugo called out Manoah's on-field demeanor during an appearance on Audacy's "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcast, which he labeled as a way of "disrespecting" opponents, showboating rather than uplifting one's self.
But Manoah didn't pay Verdugo's criticism much mind.
"Coming from him? I don't give a (expletive)," Manoah said before Tuesday's matchup against the Kansas City Royals, according to Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun.
During a matchup at Fenway Park last season on July 23, Manoah barked at Bobby Dalbec and Franchy Cordero after striking both of them out in the sixth inning.
"I think Alek Manoah goes about it the wrong way, 100% I think he does," Verdugo said, according to Audacy’s Logan Mullen. "You can find videos of him, footage of him in Triple-A going like this to hitters. Last year, telling Franchy and Bobby to go sit, (expletive) like that and looking right at them."
Manoah spent the better part of last season tiptoeing the line between expressing personality and poor sportsmanship. On the one hand, Manoah being pumped up after a major strikeout should be promoted for the betterment of Major League Baseball reaching a younger audience. However, when does it cross the line? At what point does the shouting or direct gestures become disrespectful?
Manoah is 4-0 in his career against the Red Sox with a 1.46 ERA in six starts the past two seasons.
The Red Sox and Blue Jays won't meet until May 1 during their four-game set at Fenway Park.
