Multiple players were ejected on Tuesday night following a brawl between the Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox
The Washington Nationals found themselves in a benches clearing brawl midway through the fourth inning against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night, sparking a handful of ejections including one National.
With Boston ahead, 1-0, Washington Nationals starting pitcher Cade Cavalli tossed his eighth strikeout of the night after his 87 mph sweeper caught the left side of the plate on a full count. As Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras took his first steps back to the dugout after his strikeout, he stuck his head back up after Cavalli reportedly said, 'sit down boy' to provoke the response.
Contreras then began slowly walking to the mound before being seen saying, 'are you talking to me' as catcher Keibert Ruiz and the home plate umpire stepped up to separate the two followed by Red Sox third base coach Chad Epperson. As Ruiz and Contreras were then spotted talking further away from the play, Contreras then charged the pile of largely standing players and jumped twice before tossing his helmet, seemingly targeting Cavalli but instead hitting first baseman Andrés Chaparro in the head.
Miles Mikolas and Red Sox outfielder Nate Eaton were also spotted off to the side in a scuffle after Mikolas initially tried to hold back Contreras, his former teammate for three seasons while on the St. Louis Cardinals.
After the players were eventually separated and shortly after, it was announced that Contreras, Eaton along with Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy were all ejected. Miles Mikolas also joined them as the lone National who was disciplined, leading him to tip his cap to the Fenway Park crowd as he exited the game.
This also marks the 12th career ejection and the second consecutive night that Contreras drew this fate during the game. On Monday night, Contreras was called out for not checking his swing then tapping his helmet sarcastically for an ABS challenge, leading him to be ejected by first base umpire Nic Lentz. While he is likely to now face a suspension, Contreras has also been vocal in recent days about his mental state following the earthquakes in Venezuela with the death toll tragically neaing 2,000.
As for Mikolas, this marks his second career ejection after he was also ejected back on July 27, 2023 during a game against the Chicago Cubs after throwing at Ian Happ, a move defending none other than Willson Contreras, who was hit in the head earlier in the game.
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