The San Diego Padres lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Shohei Ohtani's return to the mound on Monday night. While Ohtani only pitched one inning, giving up a run in the process, he also touched triple-digits and went 2-for-4 from the plate. Per usual, he was the storyline, but he shouldn't drown out the noise Mike Shildt made against the Padres biggest rival.
Dylan Cease hit Andy Pages with a pitch – unintentionally I might add – but Pages did not feel that way. Pages stared Cease down after the pitch, and while he didn't charge the mound, things got tense between these two longtime rivals. Upon seeing all of this, Shildt could've let the moment pass in hopes of not starting some unnecessary drama. However, Shildt has learned a thing or two since he was fired by the Cardinals over 'philosophical difference', and that's to speak out for himself and his players.
Mike Shildt called Andy Pages out for picking a fight with the Padres
This is why Shildt yelled at Pages from the dugout. "Who the f*** do you think you are," Shildt exclaimed. It certainly got Pages attention, and all but ended his tough guy persona.
To his credit, this is an adjustment Shildt has made since his days in St. Louis. Back with the Cards, Shildt was seen as a reserved manager who was analytically-driven. He rarely raised his voice in an argumentative tone. He certainly wouldn't have called out an opposing player like he did on Monday night.
Mike Shildt learned a lot when he was fired by the Cardinals
In an article from Yahoo Sports back in May, Shildt explained the subtle differences in his coaching style.
“But yeah, you go into this second opportunity a little more open, eyes open, a little more aware of how the industry works, who people are, what I’m responsible for, what I need to let go of. But at the end of the day, what I also learned is I’m going to love our players. I’m going to treat people as well as I can, but I’m still also not going to apologize as respectfully as possible to a standard of excellence that, quite honestly, our ownership, our fans, our team expects," Shildt said.
While yelling at Pages may not seem like Shildt is treating people as well as he can, the veteran manager is specifically talking about his own players, and those within the Padres organization. He doesn't want to burn any bridges, and more importantly wants to be a skipper his players love playing for. So far in San Diego, he has done just that.
The Padres are 39-32, good for third place in a crowded NL West division. They are now four games back of the Dodgers, and 1.5 behind the San Francisco Giants, which just acquired Rafael Devers via trade. Given that information, this won't be the last time the Padres rely on their veteran manager for a spark.