Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras became testy with fans at Fenway Park on Wednesday evening during the team's 7-6 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. After being thrown out while jogging to first base in the bottom of the 10th inning, Contreras was met with boos from the home crowd.
In response to the jeers, Contreras put his hand to his ear, appearing to antagonize the fans. He was later seen engaging in a prolonged altercation with a fan behind the dugout after the final out, requiring security intervention. Contreras downplayed the interaction, humorously stating the fan was “inviting me to dinner.”
This incident marks the latest in a series of heated moments for Contreras this season. On April 8, he was booed for not running out a ground ball. In July, he received a seven-game suspension for his involvement in a benches-clearing brawl with the Nationals, shortly after issuing a challenge to a fan on Instagram.
Contreras has been open about battling a nagging hamstring injury, which he believes fans should understand. "If you’re a smart fan, you know what’s going on," he said. "I’m not going to make any excuses because it’s not an excuse. It’s real. I just want to play through it."
He further explained his approach to running on certain plays, stating, "I’m not gonna get hurt running on a ground ball. If you’re a real fan and you know baseball, there’s no case for me to hustle out of the box. I’m not 100 percent. We never are, but I’m taking care of my leg. If I have to run, I push it a little bit. If I don’t, my manager has my back. I talked to him and he gave me permission to do whatever it takes to take care of my legs and that’s it."
Despite these fan interactions, Contreras expressed positive sentiments about his first year with the Red Sox. "I won’t change my mind about Boston or the fans," he said. "I think it’s the best place to play baseball. If I was 100 percent, they wouldn’t boo me because I was gonna hustle down the line. But that won’t change my perspective about being a Red Sox and being in Boston. I get goosebumps every time I think about Boston and I’m in the right place."
Contreras arrived in Boston via an offseason trade with the Cardinals. The Red Sox are currently in third place in the American League East, holding a 5 1/2 game lead for the second wild-card spot with a 68-59 record. The team had just concluded 16 consecutive days of play, going 8-8, and was scheduled for a day off on Thursday, a break Contreras appears to need.