Things got ugly between the Boston Red Sox and Washington Nationals on Tuesday. And not just because the Nationals won 8-1.
The real story is coming out of a fourth-inning bench-clearing incident that started with a strikeout and ended with Willson Contreras hurling his helmet at Washington pitcher Cade Cavalli. Now both sides are pointing fingers over what was actually said — and whether it crossed a racial line.
Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy told ESPN that he heard Cavalli yell “Sit down, boy” at Contreras after punching him out. The phrase “boy” carries a specific racial weight when directed at Black men in the U.S., and that history didn’t get lost in the moment. Contreras, who is Venezuelan, said he honestly doesn’t know if Cavalli meant it that way.
“Let MLB handle that,” Contreras told reporters.
Cavalli isn’t denying he said something to Contreras. But he’s pushing back hard on the idea that it was racial. “I just lose my head in it. I’m competitive. I just told him to sit down,” he said. When asked if he used the word “boy” specifically, he didn’t give a direct answer.
What Started This Thing?
Contreras says it was all about Cavalli instigating after the strikeout. “He struck me on a good pitch, I was walking back to the dugout, and then he did what he did, and the rest was history,” Contreras said. “He was like, instigating, and I snapped.”
But Cavalli has receipts from earlier in the game. He called out Contreras for running into him on the base paths in the first inning. “He’s just been doing stuff,” Cavalli said. “In the first inning, he just runs past me and brushes me. It’s just something you don’t do in baseball. I think he knows that.”
Contreras Feels Like He’s Got a Target
The catcher isn’t hiding his frustration. “I feel like everything is against me right now,” he said. He pointed to getting ejected the night before while arguing a strikeout call with the first-base umpire. “I got ejected last night for nothing. I got ejected today even though I was walking back to the dugout.”
MLB hasn’t announced any discipline yet, but the league is reportedly reviewing the incident. The Red Sox and Nationals don’t play again this season, so this might be the last word unless fines or suspensions come down.
Cavalli for his part insists he didn’t say anything to Contreras beyond the normal competitive chatter. “I didn’t say anything. I just looked at him. And a few words were said after the strikeout. It’s part of the game. And he’s going to let everybody run out there and try and do whatever he does, throw a helmet and get himself tossed.”
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