Big Unit's heat apparently directed at Mientkiewicz

Last update: June 9, 2008 - 11:32 PM

PITTSBURGH - Tempers were as heated as the temperatures Monday when Pittsburgh beat Arizona 5-3.

Diamondbacks lefthander Randy Johnson was hurt by three errors, including one he committed after a Doug Mientkiewicz at-bat that visibly irritated him.

The benches and bullpens emptied briefly when Johnson left the mound and began walking toward home plate, yelling, after Mientkiewicz twice stepped out of the batter's box with a 2-1 count in the third inning. The Pirates infielder apparently was unhappy Johnson's previous pitch nearly hit him.

"He's intense, I'm intense, and it probably didn't help that it was 1,000 degrees out there," said Mientkiewicz, who went 1-for-2 and scored twice.

Said Johnson: "It didn't bother me at all. If it would have, he'd probably be on a stretcher and I'd probably be out of the game."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

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