Watch: Manoah calls Yankees' Cole the worst cheater in baseball history

Alek Manoah may have just turned the rivalry between the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Yankees up several notches.

Former Toronto Raptors star Serge Ibaka unwittingly stirred the pot in Monday's episode of his "How Hungry Are You?" show by asking the Blue Jays ace to name the "worst cheater in baseball history."

"Gerrit Cole," Manoah responded. "He cheated. He used a lot of sticky stuff to make his pitches better, and he got called out on it."

Manoah appeared to address the response to his comments on Twitter shortly after the clip began circulating:

Cole was front and center during MLB's "sticky stuff" controversy during the 2021 season, when he was accused of using illegal substances to doctor baseballs. His detractors pointed to Cole's spin rates plummeting suddenly once MLB began cracking down on pitchers' use of Spider Tack during games.

This isn't the first time things have gotten tense between the All-Star hurlers. During a Yankees-Blue Jays game this past August, a furious Cole had to be held back by teammates after Manoah hit Aaron Judge with a pitch.

After that game, Manoah - a two-time league leader in HBPs - took aim at Cole, challenging him to "walk past the Audi sign (sprayed on the grass) next time."

Manoah is the second young Blue Jays star to take a shot at the Bronx Bombers this offseason, after Vladimir Guerrero Jr. claimed he'd "never sign with the Yankees, not even dead."

Manoah is coming off a breakout 2022 season in which he finished third in AL Cy Young voting after posting a 2.24 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and 180 strikeouts across 31 starts. Cole, meanwhile, led the majors with 257 strikeouts and was named an All-Star for the fifth time in his career.

The Blue Jays and Yankees will play each other 13 times next season, beginning April 21 in New York.