We've got some AL East drama, folks! Alek Manoah drew the ire of some Boston Red Sox  fans (and even Yankees fans!)last season for his antics on the mound. The Toronto Blue Jays ace gets pumped up when he's pitching, showing a lot of emotion. That comes out in the form of trash talk, as seen in this example.

That's a wicked slider, to be fair. Getting someone out on a pitch that nasty will get any pitcher hyped up. However, some fans (Red Sox fans, in particular) feel that his comments were out of pocket. Recently, Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo called out Alek Manoah in a scathing NSFW rant on the Baseball Isn't Boring podcast.

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“Like I’ll say it right now, I think Alek Manoah goes about it the wrong way, 100 percent I think he does… Last year, telling (Red Sox hitters) Franchy (Cordero) and Bobby (Dalbec) like go sit, s–t like that and looking right at them. So it’s like, 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——g disrespecting another player who is – at the end of the day we’re just trying to compete, that’s it.”

Baseball has long been criticized to be too stingy when it comes to unwritten rules. The words “the way it should be played” might turn off some fans. However, you could easily argue that Manoah's comments towards the Red Sox players were disrespectful. Those comments would immediately get you clocked by your opponents in other sports.

There's certainly room for trash talk in baseball. Seeing players get competitive and heated is enjoyable, no matter the sport. The next Red Sox-Blue Jays series will certainly be a must-watch affair, especially if Manoah is starting.