Folks in Boston remember Doug Mientkiewicz as the slick-fielding first baseman who made the final putout in Game 4 of the 2004 World Series to give the Red Sox their first title in 86 years.
The folks in Fort Myers — especially those who call the Fort Myers Miracle their favorite High-A baseball team — know him as a bit of a hot head after his actions over the weekend.
Mientkiewicz is in his first year as manager of the Miracle, a Twins affiliate. On Saturday, Mientkiewicz and Bradenton Marauders manager Frank Kremblas started a bench-clearing brawl when Kremblas called Mientkiewicz out after a Miracle pitcher threw a brushback pitch at Marauder batsman Dan Gamache. It was Gamache who knocked Miracle catcher Jairo Rodriguez out of Friday’s game after a collision at home plate.
After the brush back, Kremblas began yelling at the ump and then at Mientkiewicz, urging him to come out of the dugout. Mientkiewicz happily obliged and sprinted toward the opponent’s bench, where he locked up with the Marauders skipper and took him down.
Check out the tail end of the brawl in the video below, via news-press.com.
