Manager Mike Shildt #8 of the St. Louis Cardinals. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Shildt goes off on umpire Jeff Nelson for making a bad call at the plate.
The St. Louis Cardinals have work to do as the MLB enters its second half. They are 7.5 games back of the final wild-card spot in the NL, which means they need to rattle off some wins to make up ground. They’ve started 3-2 since the break, and their three-game series with the Chicago Cubs is important in terms of the Wild Card race. Cardinals manager Mike Shildt seems to already be in playoff mode even though it’s only July.
During Wednesday’s game against the Cubs, the Cardinals manager exploded on Jeff Nelson for a bad strike call. Shildt’s reaction to the call will tell you exactly how he feels about it.
Cardinals manager Mike Shildt explodes on umpire Jeff Nelson after a strike call.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Dylan Carlson was called for a strike on a pitch that was way outside of the strike zone. Shildt wasn’t happy about the call and proceeded to berate umpire Jeff Nelson in between innings. The manager’s explosion caused him to be ejected from the game. Before he left the field, Shildt made sure to give Nelson and the other official a piece of his mind the missed call.
In a tight 1-0 game, maybe that was the fire Shildt’s team needed to wake up. Nevertheless, the manager was rightfully upset over what was a clear ball.