The St. Louis Cardinals are entering the final game of a series with the Pittsburgh Pirates hoping to avoid a series loss. In Monday night's 7-6 win over the Buccos, first baseman Willson Contreras got into a heated argument with home plate umpire Derek Thomas and was subsequently thrown out of the game.
Contreras followed it up with an insane outburst, making contact with the umpires as manager Oli Marmol attempted to hold him back. He also threw his bat towards the umpires, but accidentally hit hitting coach Brant Brown. Later, he threw a bucket of Hi-Chew candy onto the field.
Contreras is appealing the suspension and hoping to at least get it reduced, but in comparison to other outbursts that have happened in recent years, did Major League Baseball do enough?
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.
Comparing Willson Contreras' outburst to other recent ejections and tirades
Prior to Contreras, the most recent outburst came from Seattle Mariners outfielder Victor Robles, who was nearly hit by a pitch and then threw his bat in the direction of the pitcher before charging the mound. When he returned to the dugout, he threw candy onto the field, just as Contreras did.
Robles was ultimately suspended 10 games, and he is currently appealing that suspension. Based on the context of both, perhaps MLB should have suspended Contreras a little bit longer. But there are other such outbursts to look back on.
Back in 2012, then-Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie was called out on strikes, and when he was ejected for arguing, he threw his helmet in the direction of the home plate umpire, hitting him in the leg. Lawrie had a four-game suspension levied his way.
Of the three tirades, Lawrie's was the most controlled. After hitting the umpire with his helmet, he was brought back to the dugout without any further issues, whereas Robles and Contreras continued to express their rage.
Willson Contreras suspension could've been worse
Robles' bat at least didn't hit the pitcher, but in Contreras' case, he tried to throw a bat at the umpire and ultimately hit one of his coaches instead. That alone is grounds for some severe punishment.
To be fair, umpires tend to make bad calls and needlessly eject players, but how Contreras reacted is ultimately the bigger story here. Based on what Robles received, six games might have been a little bit light for Contreras, but we'll see what it turns out to be.
Each case is different, and there are other factors that determine the nature of each case. But Contreras' blowup was very similar to that of Robles, and he was unhinged when he was talking back to the umpires. Marmol had to do everything in his power to restrain the veteran first baseman, and the fact that one of his coaches was hit with a bat should also be an aggravating factor here.
Contreras was understandably upset. Umpires tend to take things too far at times, but Contreras also crossed a few lines in the process of being ejected.