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He led Myrtle Beach to the league’s best regular-season record and the South Division title over Salem, defeated the Red Sox in the best-of-three semifinal series, and lost to Potomac in the championship series.

There was a lot that went right for Mikulik in his lone season guiding the Texas Rangers’ High-A affiliate. There were two instances against the Red Sox when Mikulik’s post-ejection antics became viral sensations, and the first ejection came in the Pelicans’ final trip to Salem that season.

Mikulik is back at Salem Memorial Ballpark for the first time since the 2014 season. The longtime minor league manager is in his first season as the Texas Tailgaters manager in the four-team Banana Ball league, and the Tailgaters are set to face the Firefighters on Friday and Saturday at the home of the Red Sox.

The sold-out games are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. both nights.

Mikulik doesn’t need to provide entertainment on the diamond these days. The players bring the energy with creative walk-up routines; they turn routine plays into acrobatic feats; and there are elements within the game that keep the fans engaged.

Friday’s game marks the first time Mikulik has been at Salem Memorial Ballpark since he was ejected in the middle of the fifth inning on Aug. 17, 2014.

Salem starter Kyle Kraus escaped a bases-loaded jam by getting Christopher Bostick to ground into an inning-ending double play.

Mikulik argued with home plate umpire Adam Beck that the first out of the double play at the plate should have been ruled safe. Beck ejected Mikulik and that led to a lengthy tirade that ended with .

Most of the 2,313 fans in attendance gave Mikulik a standing ovation as he left the field, and the Red Sox completed a sweep of the three-game series with a 9-1 triumph.

The second ejection came in Myrtle Beach in the opener of the best-of-three series on Sept. 3.

Jake Romanski’s two-run homer down the left-field line in the top of the 10th inning put Salem ahead 3-1. Former Liberty University standout Ryan Cordell was in left field for the Pelicans and immediately argued the ball didn’t stay fair down the line, and Mikulik was ejected not long after the umpires upheld the ruling on the field.

near the visiting dugout to signal that Romanski’s homer should have been called foul, and then he had to hold back hitting coach Josue Perez after Perez was ejected.

Mikulik was promoted to manage Double-A Frisco for the next five seasons.

He posted a record of 1,372-1,343 over 21 seasons as a minor league manager. He was the Spokane Indians bench coach for the last two seasons before taking the job with the Tailgaters.

The Tailgaters made their debut this season by becoming the fourth team in the Banana Ball league.