Maniacal Mike Shildt ejection helps Padres stage epic late-game comeback vs. Yankees

On a wet, weather-unpredictable night in the Bronx, Mike Shildt was as heated as ever. The Padres manager and his club were fighting the East Coast storm and a strong New York Yankees squad, but Shildt was most unhappy with home plate umpire Adrian Johnson.

In the top of the eighth inning, Fernando Tatis Jr. was batting with two runners aboard and one out. Down 3-0, San Diego had trouble getting anything together offensively. Tatis Jr. eventually struck out in the at-bat against Devin Williams, and was then ejected from the game for arguing balls and strikes. Shildt did not take kindly to Johnson's decision, and he blew a gasket on the umpire. Shildt was tossed from the game soon after, too.

The craziest part of Shildt's tantrum? It's that it worked. Blowing up on the umpire sparked a rally in the Padres' bats. After Tatis Jr.'s strikeout, Luis Arraez drew a walk. With the bases loaded, Manny Machado laced a two-run double to bring San Diego's deficit to within a run.

Xander Bogaerts then poked a go-ahead two-run single, giving the Padres a 4-3 lead, which they would hang on to, extending their win streak to six games. A dreary, lifeless night, Tatis Jr. and Shildt provided more help in the clubhouse than on the field on Monday night - whether they remember how they did it or not.

In a series between two playoff contenders, this is one heck of a way to start off a series. The Yankees were in the driver's seat all night, until their fans started raining down boos when Shildt came out to argue with Johnson. His meltdown, followed by Devin Williams and Luke Weaver being unable to get big outs, could make for the start of a fun inter-league rivalry. We'll be watching as the next two games could bring even more fireworks - ones that clearly can't be extinguished by the constant rain away from home.