Willson Contreras hit a home run over the Green Monster on Monday night. Then he got ejected. But the thing weighing on him most had nothing to do with baseball.
Boston’s first baseman, in his first season with the Red Sox after years with the Cubs and Cardinals, spoke candidly after the win over the Washington Nationals about what was really going on in his head. His home country of Venezuela has been hit by deadly earthquakes. And the emotions of that, combined with the intensity of a game, boiled over.
“I think it’s just the emotional part of Venezuela that got to me, got the best out of me,” Contreras said, according to Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic. “I wasn’t feeling good the whole day, I was kind of down, sad, and I hit a homer, of course. I tried to help my dugout, but the first thing that I said was it’s for Venezuela. Of course, I’m helping the team to win, and it’s good, but I think every homer from now on is going to be for the Red Sox and for Venezuela.”
Contreras grew up in Venezuela and played for the national team in the World Baseball Classic, where he and his brother William became the first brothers to represent a country in the tournament. They also helped Venezuela beat the United States in the 2026 final. That pride for his homeland runs deep. So when disaster strikes, it’s not something he can just shake off before stepping into the batter’s box.
The ejection came after he struck out in his second at-bat. Contreras argued a call after challenging a pitch, and the umpire tossed him. The home run earlier in the game was still fresh, but the frustration was building from a lot more than just a disputed strike zone.
The Red Sox are riding a five-game winning streak — their longest of the season — after sweeping the New York Yankees. Contreras is in the middle of that run, trying to balance the job with what’s happening back home. It’s not easy. He’s not pretending it is.
There’s no clean wrap-up here. No tidy thesis. Just a guy who hit a ball over a wall, got kicked out of a game, and then told everyone exactly why he was fighting back tears.
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