Willson Contreras didn’t mince his words after he was nicked by Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff during the Red Sox’s loss to Milwaukee on Monday night.
Contreras has had a history with the Brewers and getting hit by a pitch in Monday’s game marked the 24th time it had happened against Milwaukee, and the sixth time Woodruff had done so.
“They always say ‘I’m not trying to hit you,’” he told reporters, per MassLive. “That gets old. So next time they hit me again, I’m going to take one of them out. That’s the message. That’s the message.
“I took exception to it. I knew my brother was behind me [as he went to first base]. I was like, ‘OK, you hit me…see what happens next.’”
The latest incident occured during the third inning when Woodruff caught the Red Sox’s first baseman on the fingers with a pitch that sparked some animosity.
Contreras ended up jawing at the Brewers pitcher while going to first base and Woodruff fired back at him as the two ballplayers moved towards one another.
The umpires and Brewers’ catcher – and the brother of Wilson Contreras – William Contreras stepped in to separate the two.
Things didn’t cool down between Contreras and the Brewers, though.
After Wilyer Abreu grounded out to second base, Contreras made a hard slide into second that caught Brewers shortstop David Hamilton and he needed to be tended to by a Brewers trainer.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy came out to talk with the umpires after the play and Contreras could still be seen barking from the dugout.
“Nobody likes getting hit at any point,” Contreras said. “But like I said, I took exception to it. It’s the 24th time. They’re going there with a purpose. That’s fine, that’s pitching. But the next time you hit me, the message is clear: I’m going to take one of them out.
“I don’t think any other team has hit me as much as them. I don’t care what they call it, I don’t care what they say. All I care about is my health. If they don’t care about my health and they hit me again, I’m going to try to take one of them out.”
