Willson Contreras issued a blunt warning to Milwaukee as frustrations grow for the Red Sox amid one of the worst starts in franchise history.
Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras has a not so friendly message for the Milwaukee Brewers. After being hit by a pitch for the 24th time by the Brewers, Contreras issued a blunt warning for the team – and for righty Brandon Woodruff, who he has a storied history with, if you will. Contreras was hit on the left hand by a fastball by Woodruff in the bottom of the third, which caused him to yell at the pitcher from first base. He proceeded to slide hard into second and knocked shortstop David Hamilton's knee with his cleats on the next play. Contreras did not mince words postgame.
“Next time they hit me again, I'm going to take one of them out,” he said. “That's a message."
Of the 131 times Contreras has been hit by a pitch in his MLB career, 24 have come from Milwaukee. That’s 18 percent of his hit-by-pitches – and 10 more than any other team in the league. Six of those 10 are off Woodruff, hence the re-ignited feud. It certainly didn’t help that the Red Sox lost 8-6 at Fenway Park. To make things more unusual, Contreras’ younger brother William was the opposing catcher for the Brewers, and his attempts to calm down his older sibling were in vain. Despite the drama, Contreras hit a solo home run in the ninth and reached base five times. It just wasn’t enough to ignite his team.
Here is the full story from Red Sox Roundtable writer Zach Coe on the drama amid the team’s latest loss.
Currently tied for the worst 10-game start in franchise history, the Red Sox are now 2-8 on the year with Monday’s loss. With two games left in the series, the tension is certainly there. For Boston, they have to hope that translates into some fight that shows up in the win column.