Willson Contreras found himself in another dramatic situation on the field this Saturday.
During the sixth inning against the Twins at Fenway Park, the Red Sox first baseman tried to advance from first base as Sedan Rafaela hit a ball into play.
The throw beat Contreras, resulting in a collision with Minnesota catcher Victor Caratini.
While Caratini managed to keep the ball away, the tension didn’t end there.
Caratini made a move toward Contreras instead of just slowing down or sliding in front of the tag. This caused Contreras to run right past him, which led to a heated exchange as both benches cleared.
After a brief stand-off, the teams retreated to their dugouts without any punches thrown.
Contreras, who joined Boston in a trade with the Cardinals last December, seems to be getting used to in-game confrontations since landing in Beantown.
Earlier this season, he had a noteworthy exchange with Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff after being hit by a pitch.
Post-game, Contreras, who has faced numerous pitch hits from Milwaukee pitchers—24 times, including six from Woodruff—gave a pointed warning to the Brewers: “They always say, ‘I’m not going to hit you.’ That’s old. So, if they hit me again, I’m going to retaliate. That’s the message.”
“I wasn’t going to let that slide. I knew my brother was behind me when it happened,” he added. “You hit me… let’s see what comes next.”
Last August, Contreras had an outburst that led to his ejection after being called a strike by home plate umpire Derek Thomas.
In a fit of anger, he threw a bat that accidentally hit his coach and even tossed a bucket of Hi-Chew candy onto the field.
Just a month prior, he triggered a dugout incident after being struck by a pitch from Padres pitcher Nick Pivetta.
