The Milwaukee Brewers and Boston Red Sox‘s Willson Contreras have a long history, and on Monday, he was hit by a pitch against the Brewers for the 24th time in his career.
Contreras has played the Brewers more than any other team in his career, simply because he has spent every year before this one in the National League Central. Brandon Woodruff hit Contreras in the hand in the third inning. The Brewers challenged the call, but it was upheld. Contreras had some words for Woodruff on the way to first base and after the call was confirmed. It was the sixth time he had been hit by Woodruff.
Contreras was not pleased with the hit by pitch, and he issued a threat to Brewers players after the game.
“They always say, ‘I’m not trying to hit you.’ That gets old,” Contreras said. “So next time they hit me again, I’m going to take one of them out. That’s the message.”
“I took exception with it, the 24th time. It’s not a coincidence,” he said after the game. “They’re going there with a purpose. That’s fine, that’s pitching. But next time you hit me, the message is clear. I’m going to take one of them out.”
Contreras may have already given the Brewers a taste of what’s to come if he’s hit again. The next batter, after he was hit by the pitch, hit a ground ball. Contreras took a hard slide into second base trying to stop a double play. He ran into David Hamilton and even ripped up his pants with his cleats.
Contreras noted that the slide was legal, and Brewers manager Pat Murphy also felt so, as he noted in his postgame comments. However, the next slide may not be a clean one. Contreras went 3-for-3 with a walk and a home run in the game, so perhaps angering him is the way to wake his bat up.
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