Saturday wasn\u2019t the first time Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras found himself at the center of chaos during a ballgame this season.<\/p>\n
But this time he was surprised, in more ways than one.<\/p>\n
Benches and bullpens cleared in the bottom of the fourth inning after Contreras bumped into Minnesota Twins catcher Victor Caratini as he ran into an out at home plate. Caratini quickly rose and caught up with Contreras as he began to walk toward the Red Sox dugout, put his arm around him and they exchanged words.<\/p>\n
Then they were surrounded as players from both dugouts and bullpens emptied out onto the field.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me that I should just slide or something like that,\u201d Contreras said via translator following Boston\u2019s 4-2 loss<\/a>, which dropped the Red Sox to 8-16 at Fenway Park. \u201cAnd from my perspective if I slid or tried to do something different, I might hit him harder than what actually happened. But at the end of the day, yeah that\u2019s a tough play.\u201d<\/p>\n Contreras said he explained his thought process and Caratini told him \u201cto slide anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the day that\u2019s his point of view,\u201d Contreras said. \u201cWe have two completely different perspectives.\u201d<\/p>\n Contreras was visibly frustrated at the end of the five-and-a-half-minute postgame media session when asked whether he thought his headfirst slide into first base, which knocked Kody Clemens\u2019 foot off the bag<\/a> earlier in the inning, contributed to the Twins swarming the field.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a regular play,\u201d Contreras answered in English. \u201cDon\u2019t try to seek for something where there\u2019s nothing there.\u201d<\/p>\n