The St. Louis Cardinals’ initial baseman, Willson Contreras, commenced a four-game disciplinary action this past Friday. This penalty stemmed from events that transpired on August 25 during a game held at Busch Stadium against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Initially, Major League Baseball mandated a six-game suspension alongside an undisclosed monetary fine. However, following an appeal, the suspension was revised to encompass four games. Consequently, Contreras will be absent for the entirety of the Cardinals’ three-game weekend series played at home versus the Giants, as well as the inaugural game of the series against the Mariners on Monday.
The incident in question involved Contreras unintentionally making contact with hitting coach Brant Brown via his bat subsequent to his ejection from the Cardinals’ eventual triumph over the Pirates on August 25, a 7-6 victory. Contreras, who was expelled during the bottom half of the seventh inning following a disagreement regarding ball and strike calls, seemed to direct his bat toward first-base umpire Stu Scheurwater. Scheurwater had intervened with the intention of de-escalating the situation. The bat, however, struck Brown in his upper body.
Post this occurrence, Contreras proceeded to throw a container filled with snacks onto the playing field as he made his way into the dugout. Here is a visual representation:
Crew chief Jordan Baker communicated to the Belleville News-Democrat that Contreras was ejected due to the utilization of “profane” language and physical contact with an umpire — a violation within the league’s guidelines. Contreras refuted the latter allegation, asserting that he solely requested equitable strike-zone assessments for both participating teams.
“I don’t think he had any justification to eject me,” Contreras conveyed to reporters, including those from the Athletic, subsequent to the game. “I did not dispute any pitch during any at-bat. The only declaration I made was to ‘Assess the pitches consistently for both teams, as there have been lapses for us.'”
“I pivoted, and he ejected me; he had no basis for it. Apparently, he perceived something I uttered, yet I did not articulate that.”
The specific pitch that prompted Contreras’ concern was an 0-2 delivery from Pirates right-handed pitcher Yohan Ramírez. Home-plate umpire Derek Thomas signaled a strike on Contreras, a decision that was deemed accurate. According to TruMedia’s analysis, the pitch possessed an 87.5% probability of being called a strike. Perhaps Contreras was agitated with himself or a prior call that occurred while he was positioned behind home plate. Regardless, none of the calls made against him as a hitter on Monday were notably incorrect.
Contreras, who is 33 years of age, has attained a batting average of .254/.338/.448 (119 OPS+) this season, coupled with a team-leading tally of 20 home runs and 78 runs batted in across 121 games. His contributions have been appraised to hold a value of 2.3 Wins Above Replacement, based on calculations hosted by Baseball Reference.
It’s important to observe that Contreras represents the second player implicated in a bat-throwing incident in recent weeks. Seattle Mariners outfielder Victor Robles faced a 10-game suspension due to projecting his bat toward a pitcher during a rehabilitation game.
