Jun 18, 2022; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Alek Manoah (6) talks with the home plate umpire regarding New York Yankees catcher Jose Trevino (39) being hit with a pitch during the fourth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Pitcher Who Called Yankees’ Gerritt Cole Cheater Gets DFA’d

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Joseph Randazzo | Last updated Sep 24, 2025 2:00 PM ET

There was a time when Alek Manoah was one of the ten best pitchers in the American League. He was an anchor of the Toronto Blue Jays ' pitching staff and stood alongside Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette as a trio of promising homegrown talent for their organization. Now, years later, as the Jays are holding on to the division with the New York Yankees inching closer, Manoah watches it all from afar, having quietly been designated for assignment earlier this week.

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Manoah's run in 2021 and 2022 was impressive. He pitched to a 2.60 ERA in 308 innings, but to New York Yankees fans, media, and the organization itself, that will be overshadowed by his one-sided war of words with Yankees ace Gerrit Cole.

It began on Serge Ibaka's YouTube show "How Hungry are You?" Ibaka, wearing a chef's hat, asked Manoah who the "worst cheater in baseball history" was. Manoah's candid response was shocking, feeding into the internet trolls of the time who had placed Cole at the center of a sticky stuff scandal that Major League Baseball had moved on from a year earlier.

"Gerrit Cole," he responded. "He used a lot of, like, sticky stuff to make his pitches better. He kind of got called out about it."

“Who is the worst cheater in baseball history”

Alek Manoah: Gerrit Cole @Starting9 @short_porch pic.twitter.com/g3D49Xirc7
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) November 21, 2022

Reporters asked Manoah about his claim before a series between the Yankees and Blue Jays in April 2023. He stood by what he said.

"I said what I said," Manoah responded, with a 6.98 ERA to that point in 2023.

Cole offered a simple response.

"I get all of my motivation from inside this clubhouse," he said

Since the interview, Manoah posted a 5.40 ERA in 111.2 IP. He showed a slight improvement in 2024, pitching to a 3.70 ERA in 24.1 short innings. Manoah's season was derailed, though, after he went down that May with a UCL tear. That was the last time he stepped on a field in the big leagues. He received Tommy John surgery that June.

Toronto designating him for assignment does come as a shock. He's 27 years old and wasn't set to be a free agent until the 2028 season. This year, he pitched 38.2 IP across rookie ball, single A, double A, and triple A and had a 3.96 ERA in total.

Manoah's fastball velocity had been down during these minor league stints. He sat at 91, having averaged 93 before undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more!