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Red Sox honor teammate’s homecoming with ‘Bowser’ T-shirts: ‘I’m having fun with it’
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- Red Sox honor teammate’s homecoming with ‘Bowser’ T-shirts: ‘I’m having fun with it’
ST. LOUIS — As the Red Sox took the field for batting practice Friday night at Busch Stadium, all of their position players were dressed the same. Instead of wearing team-issued warm-up shirts along with their game pants, the group wore — in unison — a creative T-shirt honoring a new teammate.
Players and coaches took the field wearing a shirt that featured Bowser, the character from the Mario video game series, wearing a No. 40 Red Sox jersey on the front and the same number in big, bold lettering on the back. It was an ode to Contreras' new nickname, which began in St. Louis and followed him to Boston after a December trade.
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"That's a good question," said Contreras when asked about the origin of the shirts. "The first time I heard 'Bowser' was with (Pedro) Páges, on the other side with St. Louis. Then, when I got here to Boston, we were in spring training and Trevor Story started calling me 'Bowser.' I was like, 'Bowser? Who's Bowser?' They explained it to me. I like it. I like the shirt. I'm having fun with it."
Bowser, the main villain in the Mario universe, is a fire-breathing monster with turtle-like qualities. The affable Contreras doesn't share many personality traits with him, but the moniker has caught on.
"I don't know, but it's a nice shirt," joked manager Alex Cora, wearing the shirt. "It's good for the kids."
Friday represented something of a homecoming for Contreras, who spent the last three seasons with the Cardinals after signing a five-year, $87.5 million contract with the club in December 2022. He had a full no-trade clause and intended to play out the final two years of his contract before candid conversations with president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom made it clear a change of scenery might be best with St. Louis beginning a rebuild. In December, Contreras approved a trade to Boston for pitchers Hunter Dobbins, Yhoiker Fajardo and Blake Aita .
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"When I got a call, he told me it was Boston and I was like, 'Ok, cool,'" Contreras said. "I took my time to look at the minor league system and the roster they had already and I liked it. They like what they got in return. I think it worked out the best for both sides."
As Contreras stepped to the plate in the first inning Friday, a relatively sparse Busch crowd gave him an ovation and he stepped out of the batter's box to doff his helmet and acknowledge the fans.
"It feels (like) home," Contreras said. "It feels great to be back here where I spent three years of my career, with great people on the other side. I left a really good group of friends over there and it's always great to see them, back again.
"Hopefully. I think I did my best here for them, for the team and for the fans. I played my (expletive) off. Every day I came here, I gave my 100% and did my best for them."
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