ST. LOUIS – The strategic and somewhat irritating antics the Cardinals got used to over the previous three seasons from Willson Contreras – glaring at the pitcher for intimidation purposes, moving his feet in the box before almost every pitch and playfully sticking out his tongue and waving toward the opposing bullpen following a homer – weren’t nearly as enjoyable on Sunday at Busch Stadium.

Contreras, the former catcher signed to a five-year, $87.5 million free-agent contract in 2023 to replace legendary backstop Yadier Molina, was at his irritating best on Sunday with four hits, a two-run homer, a tongue wag and plenty of glaring while powering the Red Sox to a 7-3 defeat of the Cards in the final game of the three-game series.

"(Pallante) threw me a two-seamer in and up and off the plate and I played a little mind game there by getting on the (batter's box), and everything went south for him," Contreras said with a laugh. "On the 3-1 pitch, I was expecting a hit by pitch or something like that because I was on top of the plate, but he executed. But then I was like, 'There's no way he throws an off-speed (pitch) here,' and I was looking for that sinker, especially middle-down and I got it. But I was playing a little mind games right there.

"You have to take advantage of what you know (in regard to Pallante) and I think playing those mind games there paid off. You know me, I'm always trying to play mind games and baseball is a mind game."   

After initially insisting that he preferred to stay in St. Louis, Contreras agreed to waive his no-trade clause and was dealt to the Red Sox in December for three pitching prospects. He got his revenge on Sunday by smashing a two-run homer in the first inning – four pitches after staring down former teammate Andre Pallante for buzzing him inside and a pitch after stepping out onto the plate during a strike – and added three more singles and another RBI to help Boston win the rubber game of the series. Following the homer, Contreras playfully waved and stuck out his tongue in the direction at Cardinals relievers in the same bullpen he used to point to after home runs with the Cards. 

"Nothing serious," Contreras said. "(Bullpen catcher Kleininger Teran) got along pretty well and I love that guy. I was just having fun with him today."

Contreras got a standing ovation from the Busch Stadium crowd before his first at bat of the series on Friday. However, after a 0 for 4 start to the series, Contreras had two hits and three RBI on Saturday and more significant damage in Sunday’s finale.

Half of his 10 RBI on the season came against the Cardinals. It was the eighth four-game game of Contreras’ career and his first since doing so in a Cardinals uniform on June 24, 2023 – a game in London against another of his former teams, the Chicago Cubs. Continuing to play a solid first base defensively, Contreras also stabbed a hot shot off the bat of Victor Scott II in the fifth inning and he snared a wayward, bouncing throw by Caleb Durbin in the seventh.

"You know what's happening," Pallante said of Contreras' actions at the plate. "For sure (he weas trying to rattle him). I don't know what he's trying to do, but he's trying to do something. My job is to pitch and I'm just focusing on executing the pitch at hand." 

Pallante, who worked throughout the winter to change his pitch mix and to add a “kick-change,” had success in his first two outings of 2026 when he allowed just six hits and two earned runs over his first 10 innings of work. On Sunday, he was hurt by two hit by pitches and a potential inning-ending double play that ended up being simply a force out because of a defensive shift.

In five innings, Pallante was knocked around for 10 hits and seven earned runs. Another big blow came in the fourth inning when Pallante allowed three of the first four to reach and Jaren Duran hit a curving liner to the left-center wall that plated three runs.

Said Cardinals manager Oli Marmol of Contreras trying to intimidate Pallante: "(Contreras) plays the mind game back and forth and that's just what he does. When you are on this side of it and you understand the ins and outs of it, you know the best way to go about it. You know it's coming, and you just have to execute on your side."  

One bright spot for the Cardinals was surging slugger Jordan Walker, who drilled his MLB-leading seventh home run and had a 112.2 mph single in a sixth-inning rally.

Walker extended his hitting streak to eight games by hitting his sixth homer in the past eight games in the second inning. The 6-foot-6, 245-pound Walker went down and got a low cutter and drove it 432 feet for a solo blast. Walker became just the fourth player in Cardinals history with at least seven homers in the first 15 games of the season, joining Mark McGwire (seven in 1998), Scott Rolen (eight in 2004) and Albert Pujols (10 in 2006).

"It's nice with the work I was doing in the offseason and the work during Spring Training showing up during the year," said the 23-year-old Walker. "You enjoy it when it happens, but the main goal is to keep it going. I want to keep being consistent with my approach what I want to hit." 

Alec Burleson, a Silver Slugger winner in 2025, hit his first homer since Opening Day on a 430-foot shot in the eighth inning. It was the 50th career homer for Burleson over four MLB seasons.

Cardinals’ standout rookie JJ Wetherholt went 0 for 4 and failed to reach base for the first time in his young MLB career. He came into Sunday as one of just eight MLB players – and the only rookie – to reach base in his first 13 games as a starter. He’s hitting just .214 (12 for 56), but he has supplemented it with a homer, a double, five RBI and 10 walks.     

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