Emotions were running high for Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras on Thursday night. After getting hit in the hand by a pitch, he was removed and needed to go in for X-rays, which were initially reported as being negative.
Still, while speaking to media members postgame, Contreras was clearly frustrated.
“I feel like … ” Contreras said before pausing, per The Boston Globe. “I want to say something I can’t say. Let’s leave it at that.”
Contreras has proven that he plays with an extreme amount of emotion this season. There are times when that has helped the Red Sox. There are also times when it’s hurt them, like when he was suspended following a fight with the Washington Nationals.
He would then add a comment, without making specifics, that raised some eyebrows. Many saw it as a call for a Red Sox pitcher to start retaliating for when he gets hit by pitches.
“If nobody does anything about it, I’m going to keep getting hit,” Contreras said. “That’s the way I see it. That’s it.”
Contreras got hit by the pitch in the eighth inning against the Texas Rangers. It was clearly unintentional and Contreras noted that the pitcher who hit him, Jakob Junis, took the time to apologize. The Red Sox took the lead that inning as well, making it a bad time to retaliate. Boston won’t play Texas again in the regular season.
Boston Red Sox 1B Willson Contreras Gets Hit by Pitches A Lot
Everyone knows that Willson Contreras crowds the plate. That goes back to the start of his career, and has made him one of the players hit by pitches the most in all of baseball.
Back in 2020, he led MLB in HBPs. This season with the Red Sox, he’s been hit by 24 pitches. That ties his personal record for a single season.
“A lot of people might say that I hit on top of the plate, but I’m seeing a lot of players hit on top of the plate. They don’t get hit like me,” Contreras said. “It’s really frustrating because I just came back from the IL [because of a hamstring strain], and this might take days. I mean, sore bones in the hands — might take two days, might take a week, might take 10 days.”
These HBPs have led to issues for the Red Sox before, too. That includes early this season, when he got into a brief altercation with the Milwaukee Brewers, who he has a long history with.
Still, it’s also understandable where the frustration comes from. He’s dealing with a new injury now, and Contreras is an emotional player to begin with.
Contreras and the Red Sox Look to Have Avoided a Fracture
Part of the fear when someone gets hit in the hand is that it’s going to break a bone. After all, there are a lot of small and more delicate bones in the hand.
Luckily, when the Red Sox took Contreras for X-Rays, no fracture initially turned up. That doesn’t mean there isn’t an injury there, though, and as Contreras shared, it’s very painful.
“Sore. Painful, Contreras said. “My hand was numb for like five minutes. That was the reason I came out of the game. I have fractured, before, the same hand. It felt like a fracture. Thankfully, it’s not a fracture on the top of the bone. I’m just frustrated.”
Red Sox fans will also remember Curtis Mead was hit in the wrist with a pitch. X-Rays were initially negative for him, too. Later, they found a fracture. So, Contreras isn’t out of the woods yet.
Red Sox 1B Willson Contreras Seemingly Calls for Retaliation After Being Injured