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Miles Mikolas is not only great at what he does as a pitcher, making his second National League All-Star team this season, but he’s also great at being an authentic person who brings his unique personality to the Cardinals and helps to keep the team loose.
Whether it’s racking up double-digit wins on the mound, brazenly taking a no-hitter into the ninth inning or organizing wardrobe themes for road trips, Mikolas is an unquestioned leader on the Cardinals. The 6-foot-4 right-hander, who started Monday night in Cincinnati, recently spent some time answering questions about what drives him in baseball and some of his other passions away from the diamond.
MLB.com: Some people don’t know what an accomplished fisherman you are. What’s the catch that you are the proudest of landing?
Mikolas: We caught a 160-pound swordfish a couple of years ago. But we lost a couple even bigger than that, and they were head shakers and heartbreakers. That’s the kind of fish that makes you really proud to put into the boat because there is so much work that goes into catching a swordfish that big. But the one we got, we had him on the line about an hour and a half. He hit the bait right as it hit the bottom in 1,800 feet of water with 10-pound leads. We were using sewed-up barracuda belly as bait, with a black squid skirt on it with a couple of lights and glow sticks. I was driving the boat the whole time, and my buddy was on the rod. When we got it in the boat, it was so exciting to see it all spread out and that big bill flapping. He left a nick in one of the seats of my boat, so that’s a lasting memory and the gift that keeps on giving.
MLB.com: You said earlier this season that the feelings are very similar when you lose a big fish and you lose a no-hitter. What are the emotions you go through in those situations?
Mikolas: We lost a big swordfish last winter, and we never got a great look at it, but it was somewhere over 300 pounds. That’s a big fish and a lot of fish for the friends and family and a great mount for the wall. That’s a fish you don’t get a shot at very often, probably about as often as you get a shot at a no-hitter.
MLB.com: Now that you are a couple of months removed from being one out away from a no-hitter, what are your best memories from that night, and do you remember it fondly or does it upset you?
Mikolas: As far as the day is concerned, I enjoyed a nice day with the family at the aquarium and then when I had a really good game that night was the icing on the cake. I’ll always remember the way that the game was going and how the crowd got so hyped. It wasn’t a sold-out crowd, but it felt like it once we got to the seventh inning because they were so into it. It stinks to me, in a sense, to let those fans down by not being able to finish it off. I still have so many fans who come up to me and tell me how much they enjoyed that night and hope that I’m able to get a no-hitter somewhere down the line.
MLB.com: I’ve asked a lot of your teammates about what their hidden talent is, and there have been some neat answers. What would you say is your hidden talent?
Mikolas: I try not to hide my talents. Talents aren’t very good to you if they are hidden. My main talent is baseball, but I’m a pretty good fisherman and I feel like I’m getting better. That’s not something you see very much. Another side of me that people don’t see that much is that I’m pretty good at changing diapers and getting the babies to sleep. That’s actually something I take a lot of pride in. It’s a hidden talent I guess, but I feel like I’m a pretty well-rounded parent and father.
MLB.com: When you made it to the Major Leagues, who was the one person you were excited to meet and talk to?
Mikolas: Growing up in Florida, I was always a big Josh Beckett fan when he was on the Florida Marlins. I never got to meet him, but I heard a lot of funny stories about him. He’s a country dude, a great guy and someone who has a good sense of humor. I’ve still got a lot of athletes that I want to meet who are on my bucket list. [Michael] Jordan and Tiger Woods are always bouncing around down there in the Jupiter area, and it would be nice [to] run into them. But we have guys like [Albert] Pujols, [Adam] Wainwright and [Yadier] Molina, who anybody would like to meet, but I get to play with them every day.
MLB.com: You and Wainwright have a bet this season about who will have the better ERA, pitch the most innings, get the most wins and throw the slowest strike. Is there anything cool on the line for this bet?
Mikolas: It’s almost not even a bet in that it is all pride based. It’s one of those things where the winner will take the victory to the grave with them. If we’re playing golf a year from now, he’ll tell me about that season where he threw more innings than me or he’ll rub my face in it if he wins. Or I might do the same to him, and I’ll brag about having more strikeouts than him back in 2022. So, we’ll see what happens.