Lloyd McClendon got his money’s worth and then some Tuesday night.
The fiery Seattle Mariners manager is known for some of the greatest manager blowups in baseball history, and he certainly didn’t disappoint against the New York Yankees. In the process, he sent a pretty loud message that he has his team’s back.
Mariners pitcher Mike Montgomery was three innings into his major league debut when home plate umpire Mike DiMuro ruled that Alex Rodriguez held up on a check swing. First base umpire Will Little confirmed that ruling, which prompted Seattle catcher Mike Zunino to stand up for his young pitcher in disagreement.
Zunino quickly was ejected, and that set off McClendon in a way that you certainly don’t see everyday. The results were spectacular.
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McClendon explained after the game that he was trying to get out to argue before Zunino was ejected, which obviously didn’t work. When asked after the game for the explanation he got for Zunino’s ejection, McClendon answered calmly.
“He said, ‘He can’t do that. He can’t show me up like that,'” McClendon explained to reporters. “My comment was real simple: ‘You showed yourself up. You missed the call.’ We have to show more restraint than that. For Zunino to react quickly with passion and then head to the mound to hand the ball to pitcher and get thrown out is not right.”
As we said before, this sort of behavior certainly isn’t a first for McClendon. And as good as this meltdown was, we’re still not sure it matches this epic tirade from 2001 when he was the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Thumbnail photo via Joe Nicholson/USA TODAY Sports Images
