The benches cleared in the fourth inning of Thursday’s game between Boston and Washington, and the moment that lit the fuse was a strikeout. Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli fanned Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras, then said something that sent Contreras charging toward the mound. Contreras flung his helmet and both dugouts emptied, but the part that stuck with Boston’s interim manager Chad Tracy came after the dust settled.
Tracy said he heard Cavalli yell “Sit down, boy” at Contreras after the punchout. The Nationals pitcher admitted he told the veteran to “sit down,” though he claimed he wasn’t sure of his exact words in the heat of the moment. Tracy argued that Cavalli should have been ejected, just like Contreras was.
“After everything that happened, the people that they chose that were going to leave the game, I just felt like the other pitcher should have been one of them, too,” Tracy said. “That was my biggest complaint.”
Contreras, a 34-year-old catcher and first baseman with 11 years in the league, didn’t hesitate when asked if Cavalli crossed a line. He told ESPN the exchange started after he walked back toward the dugout following the strikeout. Cavalli kept going, and Contreras snapped.
“He was like, instigating, and I snapped,” Contreras said.
The term “boy” carries a racially charged history in the United States, especially in sports settings where Black players have heard it used as a taunt. Contreras, who is from Venezuela, told reporters he wasn’t sure if Cavalli’s comment had that intent. He said he would let MLB handle it.
Cavalli’s version of events
Cavalli didn’t deny shouting something. He acknowledged telling Contreras to sit down, but when reporters pressed him on whether he said “boy” specifically, he said he didn’t know. “I just lose my head in it,” Cavalli said. “I’m competitive. I just told him to sit down.”
The problem is that even if Cavalli didn’t mean it the way it sounded, the word registers differently depending on who’s hearing it. And in the heat of a game where emotions already run high, that kind of ambiguity doesn’t erase the damage.
MLB will likely review the incident. Ejections and potential suspensions could follow, but the league might also interview both players about the language used. Contreras said he wasn’t sure what Cavalli meant, which leaves room for the league to determine intent or at least figure out whether a pattern exists.
For now, the Red Sox lost the game 8-1 and the real fallout might still be coming.
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