BOSTON — Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras was tossed for a second straight game on Tuesday after throwing his helmet toward Washington Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli during a heated exchange that ended with the benches clearing on both sides and multiple ejections.
Cavalli struck out Contreras looking on a full-count pitch in the top of the fourth. The veteran then yelled, “Sit down boy,” at Contreras as Contreras made his way back to the Boston dugout.
Willson Contreras throws his helmet during a benches clearing incident after Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli told him to “sit down boy” pic.twitter.com/IBEyYXKReN
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 1, 2026
Contreras, who hit a three-run homer off Washington’s Miles Mikolas on Monday and celebrated with a massive bat flip that he later apologized for, then approached Cavalli on the mound. The two exchanged words as both dugouts emptied.
Boston catcher Carlos Narvaez tried to hold Contreras back, but Contreras broke loose long enough to leap and throw his batting helmet in Cavalli’s direction.
Things settled down quickly after that, though the brief dustup ended with Contreras, Boston interim manager Chad Tracy, Boston outfielder Nate Eaton and Mikolas being ejected.
The early exit was the second in as many nights for Contreras, the first time that’s happened to a Red Sox player in the club’s 126-year history. The 34-year-old Venezuela native — who acknowledged he is having a difficult time while his native country tries to recover from a pair of devastating earthquakes last week — was ejected in the second inning on Monday for mimicking an appeal call after striking out on a checked swing.