Wilson Contreras Ejected After Throwing Bat At Coach During Fight With Umpire

St. Louis Cardinals’ Wilson Contreras lost his cool after striking out in the seventh inning during Monday night’s season opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The incident occurred at the bottom of the seventh inning after home plate umpire Derek Thomas correctly called a third strike against Contreras. The Cardinals held a 6-5 lead with a runner on first base when Contreras was rung up.

At first, Contreras walked back toward the dugout and appeared to accept the call. However, he then allegedly looked back at the umpire, and the outburst ensued. Contreras turned back toward home plate as several coaches and staff, including Cardinals manager Oli Marmol and bench coach Daniel Descalso, held him back.

As Contreras was dragged back to the dugout, he threw his bat in the direction of the umpire as he continued to yell. Instead, the bat hit another one of the Cardinals’ coaches, Brant Brown.

When Contreras finally settled down in the dugout, an entire bucket of Hi-Chew was thrown on the field near first base. The team’s batboys had to clean up the scene, although it is unknown whether Contreras was responsible.

While it is common for players and managers to get upset over calls, leaving their position to argue a call is not allowed and can result in being ejected from the game. Contreras’s excessive reaction led to his and Marmol’s ejection from the game.

Throwing the bat in the direction of an umpire and the overall outburst went too far for a correctly called strike. It is unknown at the time whether or not the MLB will pursue any further punishment for Contreras’s actions.

Despite the chaos, the Cardinals held the lead against the Pirates and won 7-6 on Monday. The potential loss of one of the Cardinals’ star players could be significant for future games.