Alek Manoah, when asked if he had any regrets about calling Gerrit Cole the biggest cheater in baseball history, said “Not at all,” according to Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith.
Manoah and Cole have had a feud brewing since Manoah plunked Aaron Judge last season, and Cole was clearly irate. After the game, Manoah said, “I think if Gerrit wants to do something, he can walk past the Audi sign next time,” implying that Cole didn’t actually want to confront Manoah directly.
The two battled it out on the mound on Saturday, and both were superb. Cole pitched 5.2 scoreless inning to continue his dominant start to the season, and Manoah held the Yanks scoreless for seven innings, his best start in what has been an otherwise rough beginning to the year.
There may have been some mind games going on between the two before the first pitch was even thrown, as Cole, notoriously strict with his routine and keeping pace during his starts, was on the mound and ready to get going, but Manoah trudged in from the bullpen just before the first pitch was to be thrown, leaving Cole to squat behind the mound and patiently wait for Manoah and catcher Alejandro Kirk to make their way into the visitors dugout.
Asked about it after the game, Cole blew it off right away.
“Didn’t notice,” Cole said.
Cole also wouldn’t bite when asked if Manoah’s “cheater” comments served as any extra motivation for Saturday’s outing.
“I get all of my motivation from inside this clubhouse,” Cole said.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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