In a video that surfaced online Wednesday night, St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Shildt can be seen giving a fiery, expletive-filled speech to his team in the locker room following a win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 5 of the National League Division Series.
“The [Braves] started some s—. We finished the s—,” Shildt says in the video, which outfielder Randy Arozarena later acknowledged he posted. “And that’s how we roll. No one f—- with us ever. Now, I don’t give a f— who we play. We’re gonna f— them up. We’re gonna take it right to them the whole f—ing way. We’re gonna kick their f—ing ass.”
The video is no longer available on Arozarena’s Instagram account, but it gained traction on social media. Arozarena, 24, said in a statement that he was sorry for the footage being released.
“I want to apologize to my teammates, manager, the Cardinals organization and baseball fans for the video I posted tonight after our victory in Atlanta,” Arozarena said. “It was a moment meant to be private. I made a rookie mistake by sharing it on my social media account.”
It’s unclear exactly what Shildt was insinuating the Braves started. There doesn’t appear to be media present as he talked to his players.
The Cardinals defeated the Braves 13-1 after scoring 10 runs in the first inning of Wednesday’s game. They’ll play in the National League Championship Series against the winner of Wednesday’s Game 5 between the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Arozarena made three appearances in the series against the Braves, including as a pinch hitter Wednesday. He went 0-for-3 in the series with two strikeouts.
Arozarena made his major league debut in mid-August but saw inconsistent playing time. He finished the regular season 6-for-20 from the plate with one homer, two RBIs, four runs scored and two stolen bases in 19 games.