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Red Sox’ Willson Contreras, hit by pitch again by Brewers, warns: ‘I’m going to take one of them out’
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- Red Sox’ Willson Contreras, hit by pitch again by Brewers, warns: ‘I’m going to take one of them out’
BOSTON — When Willson Contreras played in the National League Central, he and the Milwaukee Brewers had their share of conflict.
Now that he’s changed leagues and teams, things haven’t gotten any better.
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Milwaukee starter Brandon Woodruff nicked the Red Sox ’ first baseman on the fingers with a pitch in the third inning Monday night, igniting some ill will again. Contreras barked at Woodruff on his way to first and the Brewers starter jawed back, moving closer as the two were separated by home plate umpire Chris Conroy and Milwaukee catcher William Contreras , the brother of Willson.
It marked the 24th time that Contreras had been hit by a pitch from the Brewers and the sixth time that it came from Woodruff.
“They always say ‘I’m not trying to hit you,’ ” said Contreras after the Red Sox dropped an 8-6 decision to the Brewers. “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.’ ”
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When Wilyer Abreu grounded out to second with Contreras at first, Contreras went in hard on a takeout slide at second, colliding with Brewers shortstop David Hamilton , who needed assistance from the trainer. The Brewers argued that the umpires should have called interference on the call, resulting in a double play, but the plea was denied.
“Nobody likes getting hit at any point,” said Contreras. “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.”
Said longtime Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich : “We’ve seen that skit for the last 10 years. It’s nothing new.”
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Confrontation aside, Contreras had a strong game, reaching base five times, with a walk, the hit-by-pitch, a double, single and homer.
“Sometimes when I play angry, I play better,” he said. “I don’t know why. But that’s who I am....It’s different with them, I won’t lie. It’s different with them. I talked to (teammates Andruw) Monasterio and (Ceddanne) Rafaela and I said, ‘This guy’s going to hit me today, for sure.’ And they did. And that’s what’s going to happen, maybe (Tuesday), maybe the next day. They’re going to hit me again and we’ll see what happens.”
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