Tony Vitello isn't even a full season into his tenure as manager of the San Francisco Giants, and he's already sending a clear message to the rest of Major League Baseball: his team won't be pushed around.

The former Tennessee Volunteers baseball coach, who took the helm in San Francisco last fall, has found himself in the middle of a few tense moments already this season. Most notably, the Giants nearly came to blows with the Cincinnati Reds earlier this month after a series of retaliatory hit-by-pitches. But for Vitello, the frustration goes deeper than just one incident.

In a recent interview with KNBR, Vitello didn't hold back when discussing the importance of earning respect on the field. "You have to command respect from your opponent," he said. "It doesn't mean hitting guys or sliding into guys spikes up or anything like that, but if you're not respected, then there's got to be some sort of repercussions to that. Otherwise it's not going to change."

Vitello drew a parallel to his early days at Tennessee, where the Volunteers were often seen as the doormat of the SEC. "First you have to respect yourself, and then you've got to command respect from others," he explained. "There's a lot of things that go into that."

The moment that seemed to push Vitello over the edge came during a game against the Baltimore Orioles, when Giants second baseman Luis Arraez was kicked by Orioles outfielder Dylan Beavers during a routine play. While Vitello acknowledged he's not always on the field to see every detail, that play stood out as a turning point. "The Orioles game was where I was most frustrated, when Arraez got ran into," he said.

For a manager known for his fiery personality and championship pedigree in college baseball, this is exactly the kind of edge Giants fans were hoping for. Vitello is making it clear that his team won't be bullied, and it'll be fascinating to see how the rest of the league responds.