MLB Twitter on Alek Manoah's claim against New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole: "F***ing love Manoah", "Yankees Blue Jays brawl 2023 confirmed"

What is sports without a little rivalry? The New York Yankees and their passionate fanbase will certainly be keeping an eye on Toronto Blue Jays All-Star Alek Manoah the next time he makes an appearance at Yankee Stadium.

In an episode of former Toronto Raptors big man and NBA champion Serge Ibaka's "How Hungry Are You?" YouTube series, Manoah was asked by Ibaka who was the worst cheater in baseball history.

The young Blue Jays star then dropped a pipebomb and claimed that New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole is the worst cheater in baseball history.

Manoah further explained that Cole's use of the "sticky stuff" to get ahead in the league. Cole's involvement with illegal substance use has plagued him over the past few years as the league has tightened its rules on pitchers with regards to the matter, with observers stating that he hasn't been in his usual dominant form since the crackdown.

The 24-year-old's inflammatory comments, in effect, sparked outrage from New York Yankees fans and fodder for neutrals as it became a hotly-debated topic on Twitter. While some were disgusted by Manoah's words, others supported his swipe at Cole, and some just wanted to enjoy the teams beefing against each other.

The league is yet to release its schedule for the 2023 season. One thing for certain is the reception that Manoah would receive as he sets foot in the Bronx would be must-see TV.

New York Yankees shopping for relievers

After a stellar start to the 2022 season, the New York Yankees' bullpen was plagued with injuries down the stretch. Despite their dominant showing, names like Michael King, Scott Effross, and closer Clay Holmes had long layoffs that proved to be detrimental to the team.

New York Yankees executive Brian Cashman shared that he would like to bolster the team's bullpen even further during an interview at the Covenant House Sleep Out.

At the moment, names like Kenley Jansen, Cory Knebel, Craig Kimbrel, and Taylor Rogers are still on the market. If and when one of these premier relievers finds their way to the Bronx, it would be interesting to see how the coaching staff will utilize their ability knowing that the squad already has Clay Holmes as its established closer.

About the author

Daniel Santiago is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. He was drawn towards the sport after the underlying statistics and the analysis surrounding it grabbed his attention.

Daniel particularly enjoys furnishing reports about historic events in baseball and analyzing the game through a statistic-based outlook, based on Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference. This is in line with how he enjoyed watching baseball as a pastime. As a writer, he is very particular about cross-checking from reputable sources and doing his due diligence.

He became a lifelong Hideki Matsui fan after his exploits in the 2009 World Series for the New York Yankees. Among the current generation, Daniel's favorites include Shohei Ohtani and Jung Hoo Lee. Daniel is a huge follower of Asian baseball and both Ohtani and Lee have been in the top echelon of their respective leagues during their time with the NPB and KBO.

His favorite moment as a baseball fan was the final at-bat of the 2023 World Baseball Classic between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. He believes there aren't many words to fittingly describe the intensity of the moment.

As an avid sports fan, Daniel watches other sports and Esports when not writing about baseball.

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