Willson Contreras' benches-clearing betrayal had motive after Cubs beat Cardinals

Former Chicago Cubs catcher and current St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras was among the most heated players as the benches cleared at Busch Stadium on Thursday.

The two teams got into it after Daniel Palencia struck out Nolan Gorman to end the game in a 3-0 Cubs victory. The pitcher celebrated his strikeout with emphasis, turning to direct a look at Contreras on first base.

Willson Contreras, Daniel Palencia were chirping before benches cleared

The background here does seem to matter, since Contreras and Palencia had issues earlier in the inning. Palencia plunked Contreras with a high and inside fastball, putting him on first. The first baseman took offense and started chirping on his way to the bag. It stands to reason the direction of Palencia's celebration was related.

"Hype" Daniel Palencia denies hitting Contreras on purpose

There's no doubting Palencia's intentions on the HBP. There was no way he intentionally tried to hit the former Cub. It was the bottom of the ninth with a runner on second and no outs in a three-run game. Still, Contreras' response seemed to rev him up. He struck out the next three batters — Nolan Arenado, Thomas Saggese and Gorman — to close things out.

After the game, Palencia admitted to being "pretty hype" after his final strikeout. He also claimed he didn't intentionally hit Contreras.

Willson Contreras apologizes to Cubs

Contreras revealed that he told Palencia to "throw strikes" after the HBP, via Derrick Gould of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

“My reaction was bad," Contreras said. "I apologize to the Chicago Cubs for the way I reacted. … I don’t want to fight them.”

Contreras has had a contentious relationship with the Cubs ever since he signed with the rival Cardinals ahead of the 2023 season. He's saved his best performances since for when he's facing his former team. He's only added to the fire by calling St. Louis a better organization than the Cubs. Meanwhile, he hasn't done much to refute allegations that his volatility in the clubhouse played a part in Chicago letting him walk.

Thursdays win gave the Cubs a 2-2 split against the Cardinals. St. Louis grabbed the first two games on Monday and Tuesday. Chicago fought back with two shutouts.