Red Sox's Willson Contreras sends threat to entire Brewers organization after heated altercation

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Red Sox's Willson Contreras sends threat to entire Brewers organization after heated altercation originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Boston Red Sox have gotten off to a slow start to the season, and things continued to worsen after Monday’s loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. Willson Contreras was acquired by the Red Sox during the winter.

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“The Boston Red Sox acquired first baseman Willson Contreras in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals, the second big deal between the teams this winter as the Cardinals rebuild and the Red Sox aim to stay competitive in the cutthroat American League East division. Contreras, 33, has been one of the steadiest right-handed hitters in baseball since his debut and will bring his well-above-average glove to a position Boston had spent the offseason trying to fill,” ESPN’s Jeff Passan wrote.

This was a significant move for the Red Sox. With the Brewers coming into town, the matchup was already set up for some fireworks, considering Contreras spent much of his career with division rivals of Milwaukee, including the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals.

On Monday, tensions boiled over when Contreras was hit by a pitch for the 24th time against Milwaukee. After the game, he issued a warning.

“They always say, 'I'm not trying to hit you.' That gets old. So next time they hit me again, I'm going to take one of them out. That's a message,” Contreras told the media.

It’s safe to say Contreras was frustrated, and it even led to an altercation during the third inning. After the game, Brandon Woodruff—who hit him—downplayed the situation, suggesting it was nothing new.

“We’ve been through this – it’s, what, nine years for me? – it seems like every year,” said Woodruff. “He’s trying to play a game and he’s trying to get his side fired up. Once I knew what was going on, I wasn’t going to let it affect me on the mound. I knew I had a job to do.”

There is clearly no love lost between Contreras and the Brewers, and this was only the first game of the series. With two games still remaining, there’s no doubt things could escalate.

If Contreras is hit by another pitch—intentional or not—he has already made it clear that there could be consequences. The next two games between the Red Sox and Brewers will be closely watched across the baseball world.

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