Cardinals’ Willson Contreras makes feelings clear after bench-clearing incident vs. Cubs

The Chicago Cubs shut down the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday to complete a series win. However, the win was marred by controversy stemming from a heated exchange at the end of the game.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Cubs reliever Daniel Palencia let out a roar after striking out the Cardinals' Nolan Gorman to end the game. The closer turned in the direction of Willson Contreras at first base to share a few words.

The Cardinals star didn't like Palencia's reaction and started walking towards the pitcher. The benches cleared, and there was a brief verbal exchange between the players.

Following the game, Contreras discussed the incident.

“I'm not trying to fight them,” Contreras said. “I just react in the heat of the moment. … I'm not trying to fight anybody. He did his job. The only thing that I didn't appreciate was the way he turned around. But once again, that’s just the heat of the game. He came out with a good staff to put another zero on the board, and they won today.”

Willson Contreras reveals reason behind his reaction on hit-by-pitch

Before the bench-clearing incident, Willson Contreras copped a 100.5 mph fastball on his hand from Daniel Palencia in the same inning. The former Cubs catcher was disgruntled by the hit-by-pitch.

"Last year, I got two broken bones,” Contreras said. “And I know he's not trying to hit anybody there. I know I react – the way I react. Again, I know he's not trying to. I just said, ‘Throw strikes.’ My reaction was bad. I take that back. I apologize to the Chicago Cubs. … But I'm not trying to get another broken bone.”

Palencia said the pitch wasn't intentional, and his reaction was because of the heat of the moment.

"It’s just part of the game,” Palencia said. “I don’t want to hit that guy. I’ve been watching that guy since I was a kid. I’m proud of him -- what he’s doing for the game. Like I said, the moment was intense. Close game.”

It marked a second consecutive scoreless game for the Cardinals after being defeated 8-0 in the second game of the series on Wednesday.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash