A heated exchange between Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras and Washington Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli escalates into a benches-clearing scuffle at Fenway Park on Tuesday. Cavalli strikes out Contreras in the fourth inning on a full-count pitch, after which Cavalli yells toward Contreras as he prepares to return to the dugout. Multiple outlets report Contreras reacts angrily, charging toward the mound and throwing his batting helmet at Cavalli. The incident triggers a confrontation between the teams, with benches clearing on both sides and multiple ejections issued.
Contreras is tossed from the game and is reported to be ejected for the second consecutive night. One report also includes Contreras’s verbal response after the strikeout, saying “Sit down bro,” as he heads back toward the Red Sox dugout. The underlying trigger in the reports is Cavalli’s remarks toward Contreras following the strikeout, which both sides appear to treat as the spark for the on-field altercation.
