The St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers NL Central rivalry grew testy on Saturday, thanks in part to two former Chicago Cubs in Jose Quintana and Willson Contreras. The latter was at the center of Saturday's controversy, as he got in the way of Rhys Hoskins in the early innings as he was running towards second base. Then, Contreras was plunked by Quintana in a later at-bat. It's unclear if the HBP was retaliation or not, but Contreras sure seemed to think so.
After the game itself, which the Cardinals won, Contreras spoke out about his drama, and the money quote was about Hoskins.
One of their players, he liked to talk from far away, but then when he got in my face, didn't say s**t. I was looking for more than that. He seems to be tougher. He's a f*****g p***y. I'm not gonna name no names. He knows who he is," Contreras said. Ironically enough, Contreras himself wasn't speaking to Hoskins, but rather through the media.
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Willson Contreras was surprised former Cubs pitcher Jose Quintana plunked him
While Contreras beef with Hoskins will undoubtedly be on front pages throughout St. Louis and Milwaukee, it was his take on Quintana, who was tabbed to send a message to the Cards first baseman, that ought to get Cubs fans' attention.
“To be honest, I wasn’t expecting it from Quintana,” Contreras said. “I caught him for [four] years, I know him very well, he’s a great guy, a great person and a great teammate. That’s probably why he stood up for his teammates. I have nothing but respect for Quintana. We’re nice. I got the ball to him, and I said, ‘We’re fine.’ We’re not going to have any beef about it, and it’s done.”
Willson Contreras understands why Jose Quintana had to retaliate
Contreras does have a point. He and Quintana were teammates in Chicago before going their separate ways. Contreras was also a catcher for much of his time with the Cubs, before he signed with the rival Cardinals in a shocking career twist. Quintana himself struggled in the Windy City.
He excelled in the south side with the White Sox, which is why the Cubs sent a loaded trade package, which included Dylan Cease and Eloy Jimenez, to their cross-city rival in return for his services. It never quite worked out the way the Cubs hoped, but the bonds Quintana built with the likes of Contreras last a lifetime.
Quintana likely meant nothing by it. The unwritten rules of baseball require a lot of veteran players. As Contreras noted, Quintana is a great guy, which is why he stood up for his teammates in that situation despite his previous friendship with the Cardinals first baseman.
That doesn't make Quintana's betrayal any easier to deal with for Contreras, however.