Contreras Makes Red Sox History With Back-to-Back Ejections After Brawl

MLB hands Cavalli and Contreras 7-game bans after dugouts empty

Despite striking out 13 with 1 hit in 7 innings, Cavalli was suspended after telling Contreras “sit down, boy,” sparking a brawl in DC.

“You talking to me?” - Cavalli and Contreras suspended after Dugouts empty...

Major League Baseball has suspended Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli and Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras for seven games each following Tuesday’s benches-clearing brawl.

If they don’t appeal, both suspensions will take effect starting Friday, July 3rd.

The fight started after Cavalli struck out Contreras and told him, “sit down, boy.” Contreras glared at Cavalli and shot back, “You talking to me?” before appearing to try and throw his helmet in Cavalli’s direction.

MLB announced that Willson Contreras and Cade Cavalli were each suspended for seven games for the recent benches-clearing incident between the Red Sox and Nationals.

Miles Mikolas was issued a five game suspension while Nate Eaton was issued a three game suspension. pic.twitter.com/UJF9NDhEdc

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 2, 2026

Both benches and bullpens emptied as players rushed onto the field to break things up.

The tension on Tuesday night began in the first inning when Contreras accidentally bumped into Cavalli while jogging back to the Red Sox dugout.

Contreras said the contact was unintentional and that he apologized right away. Video replay appears to back him up.  

Willson Contreras threw his helmet at someone after Cade Cavalli told him to "sit down boy" pic.twitter.com/Yr6G8sdSEW

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) July 1, 2026

“If he thinks that was on purpose, it wasn't,” said Contreras after the game.

Red Sox manager Chad Tracy also came to Contreras’ defense.  

“I don't know if you saw it, but he said, 'Sorry, my bad',” said Tracy.

The word “boy” has long been used as a slur in America, mainly aimed at Black people but also at Hispanics. In fact, the U.S. Supreme Court case Ash v. Tyson Foods (2006) ruled that the term can count as a racist insult depending on the context and tone.

Cavalli later put out an apology after the altercation.

Cade Cavalli claims Willson Contreras "brushed him" while running by him in the first inning...

Sure doesn't look like Contreras made any contact with him 🤷‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/UDSLIn4JBK

— NESN (@NESN) July 1, 2026

Cavalli still finished strong, striking out 13 and giving up just one hit over seven innings. The fight also meant back-to-back ejections for Contreras, making him the first player in Red Sox history to be tossed in consecutive games.

His first ejection happened on June 29th for “mimicking an umpire.”

“Obviously, there was no ill intention behind it,” said Cavalli.

Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli pledged to eliminate the word "boy" from his vocabulary during games after his role in the benches clearing on Tuesday night vs. the Red Sox.

Nats president of baseball operations Paul Toboni said the two spoke afterwards about how Cavalli's use of… pic.twitter.com/YCdk37OGdY

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) July 1, 2026

“It hurt my heart, knowing that, if there's a 13-year-old Black kid in D.C. who sees that, who looked up to me and thinks that he perceived it in a way that wasn't intended, the way it came out, and then he's not looking up to me anymore. That hurts my heart.”

“It'll never happen again.”

“I have not reached out to (Contreras). I know that we're both competitors, I hope that he hears this and he understands that that was not what was intended at all. I think he knows that. But if I see him, I want to make sure that he knows that.”

Willson Contreras with one of the weirdest ejections I've ever seen. He even came back on the field and had a full conversation about it. pic.twitter.com/xIDasGlSRL

— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) June 29, 2026