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Willson Contreras sends clear message to Brewers

3 years agoTony Andracki

Willson Contreras let his play do the talking.

After he was hit by another pitch, he sent the Brewers a 428-foot message.

Contreras’ 2-run blast served as the decisive hit in the Cubs’ 3-2 win over the Brewers and halted his team’s losing streak. It was also some “sweet” revenge against the team that has hit him 7 times over the past two seasons.

Contreras was hit on the hand with a pitch to begin the 4th inning and he later came around to score the Cubs’ first run.

In the bottom of the 5th, Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff came to the plate and Cubs reliever Ryan Tepera threw the first pitch behind Woodruff’s legs. That prompted an immediate reaction from Woodruff and the Brewers, but Contreras worked to help deescalate the situation.

“That caught me off guard,” Contreras said. “I was just trying to calm him down, because I know how it feels to be thrown out. We had a good conversation and the warnings were made and thankfully we finished the game in a good mood.”

“I’m extremely happy [that didn’t blow up],” David Ross said. “Some of that’s been going back and forth. Whether it’s on purpose or accident, it’s so hard with today’s game with how hard guys throw and where that’s at. …I’m glad the umpires jumped on top of it and the benches didn’t clear.”

Contreras understands all the hit-by-pitches are not intentional and has talked with Brewers catcher Omar Narváez — a good friend — about his concerns.

“That’s something that would frustrate any player and I’m trying to take care of myself,” Contreras said. “I was trying to send a message last series at home and then I got fined $7,500 because I was trying to protect myself. That hit-by-pitch could have been the end of my career.”

Contreras is referencing the fine he was slapped with last week when he sparked a benches-clearing kerfuffle by starting toward the mound and yelling at Brewers pitcher Brad Boxberger after being hit in the shoulder.

Tuesday night, he let his play do the talking instead and as he trotted around the bases in the 8th inning, he shushed the Milwaukee crowd:

“They like to boo us, the players,” Contreras said. “It feels good to shut them up. If they want to boo me, I don’t really care. But don’t get sensitive when I do something like that.

“Tonight, we sent a message. I think they picked the wrong guy to throw at. Message sent. There’s a lot more games coming up. Who knows what’s gonna happen?”

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