Justin Verlander has no patience for Alex Cora and his attempts to get him off his game.
That much we learned on Tuesday night as Verlander brushed off the Red Sox manager with some very strong language caught on the broadcast.
"F--- off Alex," Verlander said to the delight of MLB Twitter as Cora argued with the umpires about the pitcher's apparent PitchCom issue.
You can listen to the full audio below, but be warned, the strong language is loud and clear.
Youāve got the love Justin Verlander! š #Astros pic.twitter.com/c3pU3A6FLZ
ā Eric Huysman (@EricTalksStros) August 23, 2023
Justin Verlander explains NSFW message aimed at Alex Cora
After the game, Verlander explained to reporters exactly what went on between him and the former Astros coach.
"Alex comes out there and starts arguing that I had been shaking. He was trying to say that my PitchCom was working. I'm assuming he thought I was using it as a tactic. I wasn't using it as a tactic. He kind of gestured to me & said something like 'You go pitch'," Verlander said, via Chandler Rome of the Athletic.
The Astros pitcher wondered if Cora's complaints were less about the rules and more about trying to rattle him and fire up the Red Sox. So his response was an attempt to make like Taylor Swift and shake it off.
"I don't think he would take offense," Verlander said, also via Rome. "Hell, he might have been out there trying to rile their guys up, get me flustered, who knows? That was something that, when I was younger, would probably have affected me a lot more than it did now. The old M.O. against me was to get me to think about anything other than pitching, get me out of my game plan. In part, that was me being like 'I'm done with this. You do what you want. You talk to the umpire. I'm going to worry about pitching.' It wasn't really directed (at him), even though it was. I'm sure he understands."
The confrontation happened in the bottom of the second inning. Verlander went on to pitch six inning shutout innings in total, so clearly he wasn't rattled. He struck out nine batters before leaving the mound and the Astros ultimately won 7-3.