On Thursday afternoon, Willson Contreras was at the center of drama with his former team, the Chicago Cubs, after he was hit by a pitch in the ninth inning. The entire affair didn't make much sense – Contreras is still mostly beloved in Chicago for winning a World Series back in 2016, and he was plunked late in the game – there was little reason to retaliate. Yet, Contreras took exception with Daniel Palencia's celebration in a Cubs victory, thus leading to a benches-clearing predicament.
Contreras was, by most accounts, solely responsible for this unnecessary drama. Yet, MLB hasn't fined or suspended the Cardinals star, as far as we know. Contreras did apologize to his former team in the aftermath, essentially realizing his mistake in real time as he spoke to the media.
“Last year, I got two broken bones,” Contreras said. “And I know he's not trying to hit anybody there. I know I react – the way I react. Again, I know he's not trying to. I just said, ‘Throw strikes.’ My reaction was bad. I take that back. I apologize to the Chicago Cubs. … But I'm not trying to get another broken bone.”
Is Willson Contreras really concerned about his safety?
Contreras was worried about his safety, but he waited until after the final out to say something to Palencia, who admitted he was just excited about the Cubs victory. Ian Happ, who was a former teammate of Contreras during their time in Chicago, tried to deflate the situation.
“That’s Willson, you know?” Happ said. “He loves his teammates. He loves to play hard. He’s going to be a guy that is in it every pitch. Any time you get hit up and in, in a spot like that, it’s scary. Guys are frustrated. I totally get it. Just the heat of the moment and competition.”
Contreras has responded well since his self-admitted mistake, with three hits in his last two games against the Cleveland Guardians. In that sense, he doesn't sound all that worried about his long-term health. If anything, Contreras latest gamble in a rematch with his former team was just another attempt to fire the Cardinals up and provide some clubhouse leadership, something he has done early and often this season.
Willson Contreras is playing with fire in attempts to rile up Cardinals
For example, just two weeks ago when the Cards were facing Milwaukee, Contreras pulled a similar tactic. Contreras collided at first base with the Brewers' Rhys Hoskins, and even called him out postgame. “I wasn’t trying to get him hurt,” Contreras said. “He was running inside the line, I stayed there, and I have all the rights to stand on the bag. And I don’t think it was anybody’s fault. It’s part of the game.”
The 33-year-old admitted he wasn't trying to fight the Brewers at the time, but his emotional reaction got the point across. The Cardinals have won seven of their last 10 games as they narrowed their NL Central gap to just 3.5 games, and are only 1.5 games behind the Brewers in the NL Wild Card.
It's become obvious that Contreras is using his fiery personality as a way to get his team's attention, rather than being genuinely concerned about his safety. While that may help the Cardinals in the short term, he's playing a dangerous game, and the Cubs could've suffered as a result had they come to blows.