Joe Mikulik blew up again this weekend, but at least he kept his clothes on this time.
One of baseball’s most fiery managers at any level, Mikulik has earned a reputation as a hothead during his minor league managing tenure. Now the manager of the Frisco RoughRiders — the Texas Rangers’ Double-A affiliate — Mikulik wasted no time reminding us of this.
The thing about Mikulik’s latest tirade is that it might be justified, relatively speaking. He was ejected over the weekend after pitcher Tanner Scheppers was ejected for hitting a batter while working a rehab assignment. It obviously doesn’t do him much good to risk ejection while rehabbing, and making matters worse, Scheppers was ejected by the first base umpire (the crew chief) and not the home plate ump.
What followed was classic Mikulik.
(Deadspin has the broadcast version of the meltdown here.)
Again, this isn’t the first time Mikulik has popped his top — pun intended. Last season, he slid into third base while arguing a call before stripping at home plate. In 2012, Mikulik made news by taking third base and handing it to a fan after being ejected.
Here’s hoping he’s got some good blood pressure medicine.
