Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras was ejected for the second consecutive game on Tuesday night after a heated confrontation with Washington Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli on the mound at Fenway Park. The incident, which occurred in the fourth inning, led to a benches-clearing brawl.
Cavalli appeared to yell "Sit down bro" at Contreras after striking him out, enraging the Red Sox slugger. Contreras then advanced toward the mound, needing to be restrained by teammate Carlos Narvaez. He then threw his helmet in Cavalli's direction.
Umpires ultimately ejected Contreras, along with Boston interim manager Chad Tracy, outfielder Nate Eaton, and pitcher Miles Mikolas, after other shoving matches ensued. Contreras made Boston history by becoming the first Red Sox player to be ejected in two straight games.
The incident followed a game on Monday where Contreras celebrated a three-run home run with an exaggerated bat flip. It remains unclear if that earlier display was connected to Tuesday's confrontation.
Contreras, 34, has spoken about the emotional toll of the recent earthquake in his native Venezuela. "Everything that's going on in Venezuela, it's not easy to hide," Contreras said after Monday's game. "It's not easy just to show up and play with everything that is going on in my country." He described his home run as a prayer for his country, stating, "And the homer just represents something that I pray to God for it to happen, because that's the only thing I can do for Venezuela right now physically. And that's why I was emotional."
Earlier on Tuesday, Contreras and fellow Venezuelan teammate Wilyer Abreu participated in fundraising efforts for earthquake victims in their homeland.
Contreras and Abreu were both part of the Venezuelan team that won the World Baseball Classic in March.