Major League Baseball has issued seven-game suspensions to Boston Red Sox catcher Willson Contreras and Washington Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli for their involvement in a benches-clearing brawl that occurred earlier this week. The league announced the punishments on Thursday.

Both players will also face undisclosed fines as part of their discipline. The incident took place during the fourth inning of Tuesday's game, which the Nationals won 10-2.

The altercation began after Cavalli struck out Contreras on a 3-2 pitch. Following the strikeout, Cavalli directed a comment towards Contreras, reportedly saying, “Sit down, boy!” This remark prompted a heated exchange, with Contreras asking, “Are you talking to me?” before moving towards Cavalli. The exchange quickly escalated, leading both dugouts to clear.

During the melee, Contreras attempted to throw his helmet at Cavalli. Teammates intervened, separating the players and eventually de-escalating the situation. While Cavalli was not ejected from the game, Contreras was among several players and staff removed by umpires.

Contreras, along with Red Sox outfielder Nate Eaton and Nationals right-hander Miles Mikolas, were ejected from the game. Boston interim manager Chad Tracy was also ejected. Mikolas received a five-game suspension, and Eaton was suspended for three games.

Cavalli issued an apology on Wednesday for his use of the word "boy," acknowledging its racially charged history in the United States. "I’m extremely torn up about the way that things were perceived," Cavalli told reporters. "Obviously, there was no ill intention behind that. My teammates know me, my family knows me, this organization knows me. I couldn’t sleep because of it."

Contreras also commented on the incident, stating, "He struck me out on a good pitch, I was walking back to the dugout, and then he did what he did. He was like, instigating and I snapped."

This marks a notable disciplinary period for Contreras, who, prior to this incident, had been ejected in two consecutive games. He was ejected on Monday for challenging a non-challengeable call by tapping his helmet, making him the first Red Sox player in history to be ejected in two straight games, according to The Associated Press.