Passion, power, pride, and anger: Willson Contreras was on full display in Monday’s Red Sox win
There are certain memories from a baseball season that stay with you long after the final out is made.
For me, one of those came before Sunday night’s game against the Yankees, when Willson Contreras and three other Red Sox from Venezuela were on Jersey Street gathering donations from fans to help victims of the devastating earthquakes in their country.
Conteras and Wilyer Abreu were joined by their wives, and Carlos Narváez by his girlfriend. Andruw Monasterio was with his mom.
You hope the money will find its way to the people who need it most, as the death toll now tops 1,700. But it’s hard to imagine how powerless those players must feel knowing their country’s government is ill-equipped to deal with the disaster.
News coverage from Venezuela has called the rescue and recovery efforts chaotic and poorly organized.
“I don’t think we deserve all this. We are good people, good country,” Contreras said. “We are good people that are trying to live a better life. We’re not even close to that, as a country.”
For Contreras, the emotions couldn’t be contained on Monday night when he sent a three-run homer soaring over the wall in left field in the first inning of a 6-3 victory against the Nationals.
Contreras fired his bat in the air, then looked into the Sox dugout while slapping his helmet and then his chest on the way to first base.
By the time he took a seat on the bench, Contreras was crying. Abreu and then manager Chad Tracy hugged him.
“I feel like I could be there helping people, and I can’t be there,” Contreras said. “The homer just represents something that I prayed to God for a way to happen because that’s the only thing that I can do for Venezuela right now, physically.”
Abreu signed his first professional contract eight months after Contreras helped the Cubs win the 2016 World Series. That he now plays with Contreras and counts him as a friend seems unreal.
“It’s very tough to see him like that,” Abreu said. “We all feel the same. We’re here to support each other, be there for each other. I was there for him. I know he’s hurting.”
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Then came the second inning, when Contreras was called out on a check swing by first base umpire Nic Lentz. His reaction then was to tap his helmet as if to challenge the call, and he was ejected.
Lentz told a pool reporter that he felt Contreras was mocking him by tapping his helmet. Per MLB rules, that is grounds for ejection.
Conteras said he had a cordial conversation with Lentz before the first inning and that the umpire mentioned the crisis in Venezuela. So the ejection, the first for a Red Sox player this season, surprised him.
Tracy went onto the field to question the call. Contreras then followed him despite the best efforts of bench coach José David Flores to keep him off the side.
For a second, you wondered what might happen as Contreras approached the umpire. But he stayed calm.
The two innings were a snapshot of Contreras as a player. He’s a powerful hitter who plays with emotion, and he sometimes allows that emotion to get the best of him.
The Red Sox have gladly accepted the full package. Contreras has 18 homers, 53 RBIs, and has played in all but one game this season. He also has been significantly better at first base than was expected.
To watch him play first, you’d never know Contreras was primarily a catcher and designated hitter until last season with the Cardinals.
Contreras has homered twice and driven in seven runs during the five-game win streak that finally has the Sox pointed in the right direction.
“It’s very fun to watch him play,” Abreu said. “He’s an amazing guy, an amazing player. All the emotion, all the passion that he has.”
The passion, pride, frustration, and anger were all on display Monday night. It was something to see.
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