Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Alek Manoah. Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Blue Jays' Alek Manoah on Gerrit Cole confrontation: 'If Gerrit wants to do something he can walk past the Audi sign next time'

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 8/21/22

Tempers flared Sunday afternoon between the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays after starting pitcher Alek Manoah plunked slugger Aaron Judge with a pitch in the fifth inning.

Yankees' starting pitcher Gerrit Cole, who wasn't pitching on Sunday, showed his displeasure by storming out of the dugout toward Manoah.

After the game, Manoah had a response for Cole.

"I think if Gerrit wants to do something, he can walk past the Audi sign next time," Manoah said, referencing the advertisement painted on the grass in front of the first-base line at Yankee Stadium.

"If Gerrit wants to do something, he can walk past the Audi sign next time."

Alek Manoah don’t play like that pic.twitter.com/urHUIus3DD
— Starting 9 (@Starting9) August 21, 2022

Manoah said he's struggled to throw his sinker over his last five or six starts, adding he thought Judge understood he didn't intend to hit him.

Cole told reporters he "wasn't sure" if Manoah had hit Judge on purpose. He explained his actions by saying, "Aaron got hit, and we'd been dusted several times."

Gerrit Cole said he wasn’t sure whether or not Alek Manoah intentionally hit Aaron Judge

“We had been dusted several times.” pic.twitter.com/9c1hmvAsAw
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) August 21, 2022

For those wondering, the Yankees and Blue Jays will meet again before the end of the regular season. New York will travel north to Toronto for a three-game set beginning Sept. 26.

There's also a chance the two clubs could face off in the postseason. The Yankees continue to sit atop the AL East with a 74-48 record. Meanwhile, the Jays' are tied with the Tampa Bay Rays for the top AL wildcard spot with a record of 65-55.

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