Boston and Washington’s Tuesday brawl is already carrying real consequences.
MLB handed down suspensions Thursday after the benches-clearing incident between the Red Sox and Nationals, with Boston first baseman Willson Contreras and Washington right-hander Cade Cavalli each getting seven-game bans. Nationals right-hander Miles Mikolas was suspended five games, and Red Sox outfielder Nate Eaton received a three-game penalty.
All four players are appealing, according to a source who spoke to Evan Drellich of The Athletic.
The flashpoint came in the fourth inning of Washington’s 8-1 win, when Cavalli struck out Contreras and then yelled, "Sit down, boy" as the moment escalated. Contreras responded with a heated exchange, and things boiled over once the benches emptied.
During the scrum, Contreras threw his helmet at Cavalli. Contreras was ejected, while Cavalli remained in the game and finished with one run allowed on one hit and 13 strikeouts over seven innings.
Contreras’ punishment also included discipline tied to his social media activity during the game. A source told Chris Cotillo of MassLive that the three-time All-Star violated MLB’s social media policy by posting on Instagram while the game was still going on.
Afterward, Contreras also told a fan who was taunting him online to "come meet me at Fenway."
Cavalli apologized Wednesday for his remark, saying he did not intend to invoke the racist history of the word "boy" in the United States.
"I'm extremely torn up about the way that things were perceived," the 27-year-old said. "Obviously, there was no ill intention behind that."
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