Willson Contreras was at the center of yet another on-field dust-up Saturday.
During the sixth inning against the Twins at Fenway Park, the Red Sox first baseman attempted to score from first base on a hit by Ceddanne Rafaela.
The throw beat Contreras to the plate, leading to a collision between him and Minnesota catcher Victor Caratini.
Caratini held onto the ball for the out, but the fireworks didn’t stop there.
The backstop followed Contreras, who ran straight through Caratini rather than pulling up before the tag or sliding, toward the Red Sox dugout, and the pair exchanged words as both benches cleared.
After a short delay, the two teams returned to their dugouts without any punches thrown.
Contreras, who was acquired by Boston in a trade with the Cardinals in December, has been no stranger to in-game altercations since arriving in Beantown.
Earlier this season, the three-time All-Star appeared to exchange words with Brewers right-hander Brandon Woodruff after being hit by a pitch.
After the game, Contreras — who has a history of getting plunked by Milwaukee pitchers, having been hit by pitches 24 times against the franchise, including six by Woodruff — issued a stern warning to the Brew Crew.
“They always say, ‘I’m not trying to hit you,’” Contreras said. “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.’”
Last August, Contreras had to be restrained by coaches and was ejected from a game after being called out on strikes by home plate umpire Derek Thomas.
That tirade continued into the dugout, where he tossed a bucket of Hi-Chew candy onto the field.
A month before that, Contreras sparked a dugout-clearing incident after the Padres’ Nick Pivetta hit him with a pitch.
