Alex Verdugo expresses one ‘regret’ about his previous comments toward Blue Jays ace Alek Manoah
"When you’re good like that, you don’t need to do some of the other antics stuff that he does sometimes."
Alex Verdugo has never been one to avoid speaking his mind, especially when it comes to Blue Jays ace Alek Manoah.
Last month, the Red Sox outfielder didn’t hold back from criticizing Manoah’s antics on the mound, especially after the righty shouted at both Franchy Cordero and Bobby Dalbec after striking them out last July.
“I think Alek Manoah goes about it the wrong way, 100 percent I think he does,” Verdugo said on the “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast in April, adding, “It’s not the way it should be played. It should be played like you’re celebrating it with your team, you’re not [expletive] disrespecting another player who is – at the end of the day we’re just trying to compete, that’s it.”
Wednesday will mark the first time this season that Verdugo will face off against Manoah on the mound.
Ahead of that showdown at Fenway Park, Verdugo told Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com that his feelings on Manoah’s antics haven’t changed. However, he does regret the manner in which he expressed his thoughts on the Toronto pitcher.
“I regret saying what I did, at least to the media, because it’s something I think I should have just, man-to-man, said it to him,” Verdugo told Cotillo. “I feel like at some point now, I would like to have a conversation with him. I’d like to talk to him. Just me and him. Kind of clear out some air, just be professional about it.”
“Obviously, he’s one of those guys who’s a good pitcher and he carries a chip on his shoulder,” Verdugo added. “We’re just going to see what happens. For me, it’s not going to be to go up there and try to get emotional with it.”
It didn’t take long for Manoah to fire back against Verdugo last month when asked by Toronto media about the public criticism.
“Coming from him? I don’t give a [expletive],” Manoah said of Verdugo last month, according to Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun.
Even though Verdugo regrets that his comments were aired out publicly, that doesn’t mean he takes them back.
“It’s not necessarily that I take back what I said because he’s good, man. When you’re good like that, you don’t need to do some of the other antics stuff that he does sometimes,” Verdugo said. “We’ve had some bad blood here and there. There are some times when I felt like it was a little bit too much and crossing the line.
“I talked to a lot of Blue Jays, a lot of guys in general who all say he’s a good teammate, a good guy,” Verdugo added. “Just when he’s on the field, he’s a different person with a different mindset out there. Part of me, I can respect that and I understand that’s what he might need to get amped up. At the same time, this game is hard, man. This game will humble you. There are a lot of things and I feel like if you go about it more the right way, you’re going to get more respect, not only from fans but from opposing players.”
Given the bad blood between both Verdugo and Manoah, Wednesday’s meeting might provide some fireworks. Manoah has never been shy about plunking batters in the past, and Verdugo has handed the starter plenty of bulletin-board material.
“I really don’t care about getting hit,” Verdugo said. “[Getting] hit is just extra on-base percentage. I don’t think it’s going to get to that. I don’t think we’re at that kind of beef. I still expect everybody to be professional and to go about it the right way, for him to try to make his pitches and get me out.”
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