Willson Contreras is ejected and hits one of his trainers with his stick….
The St. Louis Cardinals edged out the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-6 on Monday night, but the real story wasn’t the final score—it was the chaos in the seventh inning.
Cardinals designated hitter Willson Contreras was furious over a called third strike during a no-ball, two-strike count in a tight game. Though replays showed the pitch landed in the strike zone, Contreras vehemently disagreed.
After being called out, he turned on home plate umpire Derek Thomas and was ejected. His anger boiled over as coaches tried to restrain him—he threw his bat toward the field, accidentally striking hitting coach Brant Brown, and continued yelling at Thomas.
Once in the dugout, Contreras tossed an entire bucket of chewing gum onto the field, leaving bat boys to clean up the mess.
“Willson was hot. My guess is that he heard something. And then, Mount Vesuvius happened,” one commentator said. “Frustration is understandable—but not to that extent.”
Manager Oliver Marmol was also tossed from the game. The league may issue additional discipline for Contreras’ outburst.
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