Major League Baseball suspended Washington Nationals starting pitcher Cade Cavalli and Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras seven games each on Thursday for their roles in a benches-clearing incident on Tuesday in Boston.
Additional suspensions and fines
MLB also suspended Nationals right-hander Miles Mikolas for five games and Red Sox outfielder Nate Eaton for three for their actions during the incident at Fenway Park. The four players each were fined an undisclosed amount as part of the discipline.
Background of the incident
Cavalli, 27, apologized Wednesday for his comment toward Contreras that ignited a benches-clearing fracas in the fourth inning of Washington's 8-1 win. After the right-hander struck out Contreras, Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said he heard Cavalli yell, “Sit down, boy,” although the pitcher told reporters, “I don’t know. I just lose my head in it. I’m competitive. I just told him to sit down.”
Contreras, 34, had to be restrained as both benches emptied. He later tossed his batting helmet toward Cavalli during the melee and was ejected. Eaton and Mikolas, neither of whom was playing in the game, and Tracy also were tossed out by crew chief and second base umpire Vic Carapazza.
Racial implications and apologies
The term “boy” has a racist history in the United States. Contreras said after the game Tuesday that he didn’t know if there were any racial overtones to Cavalli calling him “boy.” “I’m Venezuelan. I don’t know if he’s racist or not,” Contreras said. “I’ll let MLB handle that.”
On Wednesday, Cavalli said he did not mean to use the term in a disparaging way. “My teammates know me, my family knows me, this organization knows me,” Cavalli said. “I couldn’t sleep because of it. It hurt my heart, knowing that, if there’s a 13-year-old Black kid in DC that sees that – that looked up to me and thinks that he perceived it in a way that wasn’t intended the way that it came out, and then he’s not looking up to me any more – that hurts my heart.”
When asked, he said he understands the meaning behind the word used. “There’s a history behind that word, and that’s just something that as a competitor, like in football or basketball, playing wiffle ball with my brother, you don’t understand it,” Cavalli said. “And then it gets perceived in a way that was not my intention, and then you learn from that. It’ll never happen again.”
Contreras' recent behavior
Contreras was tossed for a second straight game, having mimicked an appeal call after striking out on a checked swing during Monday’s game. He also celebrated a three-run homer off Mikolas in that game with a massive bat flip he later apologized for. He acknowledged he’s been stressed since his native Venezuela was damaged by a pair of devastating earthquakes last week.
Effective dates of suspensions
The suspensions are scheduled to begin Friday, when the Red Sox visit the Los Angeles Angels, and the Nationals host the Pittsburgh Pirates. The players can appeal against the discipline, which will be held in abeyance until the process is complete.
