Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras lost his cool on Tuesday, tossed his helmet during a brawl, and now will face a likely punishment.
Contreras was ejected from the team’s 8-1 loss to the Washington Nationals after a confrontation with Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli that led to the benches clearing. Contreras threw his helmet during the dust-up, leading to an expected suspension by the MLB.
Willson Contreras Tossed for Second Straight Game
As The Athletic noted, the incident began after Cavalli struck out Contreras in the bottom of the fourth inning. Contreras began to make his way back to the dugout, but stopped when it appeared he heard something from the Nationals pitcher.
“Contreras, who was also ejected from Monday’s game, began walking toward the mound as Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz put his hand on Contreras’ shoulder and Red Sox third base coach Chad Epperson approached to intervene,” the report noted. “Then came more pushing and shoving, and Contreras charged the mound. He threw his helmet as several players tried to hold him back.”
Contreras appeared to aim his helmet toward Cavalli, but it hit Nationals first baseman Andres Chaparro and led to a larger scuffle.
Nationals pitcher Miles Mikolas and Red Sox outfielder Nate Eaton were also ejected for fighting, along with Sox interim manager Chad Tracy.
George Bissell of NBC Sports noted that the league will likely hand Contreras a suspension for sparking the fight, and for tossing his helmet during the scuffle.
“There’s a lot to unpack here,” Bissell wrote. “Contreras is likely to face a suspension after he threw his helmet at Nationals starter Cade Cavalli during a bench-clearing dustup at Fenway Park following a verbal altercation. He was 0-for-2 with a strikeout prior to the fourth-inning ejection. The 34-year-old was also tossed during Monday’s series opener.”
While it’s not yet clear how long Contreras could be suspended, he could face a parallel to Bryce Harper’s 2017 suspension for throwing his helmet at San Francisco Giants reliever Hunter Strickland. Harper, then playing for the Nationals, was hit with a 98 mph fastball and charged the mound, throwing his helmet toward Strickland.
Harper was initially suspended four games, but it was reduced to three games after an appeal.
Willson Contreras Emotional After Previous Ejection
Contreras also had another controversial moment in Monday’s game, earning an ejection for tapping his helmet after a strikeout. Contreras was also overcome with emotion after hitting a three-run homer of Mikolas, which led him to break down in tears in the dugout afterward.
The Venezuelan player said he was thinking of his home nation, which is recovering from a deadly earthquake.
“I think it’s just the emotional part of Venezuela that got to me, got the best out of me,” Contreras said Monday, via The Athletic. “I wasn’t feeling good the whole day, I was kind of down, sad and I hit a homer, of course. I tried to help my dugout, but the first thing that I said was it’s for Venezuela. Of course, I’m helping the team to win, and it’s good, but I think every homer from now on is going to be for the Red Sox and for Venezuela.”
Boston Red Sox Star Facing Likely MLB Suspension After Brawl