ST. LOUIS — Willson Contreras’ fiery reaction to being ejected from Monday’s 7-6 win over the Pirates — bumping home-plate umpire Derek Thomas, angrily spiking his helmet, throwing his bat backward and tossing a bucket of chewing gum onto the field — resulted in a six-game suspension and an undisclosed fine, MLB announced on Tuesday.
Contreras has appealed the suspension and was batting fourth Tuesday as the Cardinals host the Pirates in Game 2 of a four-game series. The discipline issued to the standout first baseman will be held in abeyance until the appeal process is complete.
Michael Hill, MLB’s senior vice president for on-field operations, announced the suspension of Contreras, who leads the Cardinals in home runs (19) while hitting .261 with 30 doubles and 72 RBIs this season. The Cardinals came into Tuesday 5 1/2 games back of the final Wild Card slot in the National League. Also, they are three games back of the Reds, the team they face in a critical three-game series this weekend in Cincinnati.
Contreras, 33, is making $18 million in 2025 — the third season of a five-year, $87.5 million contract signed before the 2023 season.
The chaos between Contreras and Thomas came in Monday’s seventh inning after the first baseman was called out on strikes. Contreras didn’t appear to disagree with the call, but he admitted to saying, “Call the pitches for both sides because you are missing for us,” to Walker as he walked back to the dugout. Another derogatory comment, caught on the Pirates television broadcast, appears to have come from the Cardinals dugout and preceded Contreras’ ejection. Contreras said the ejection and his fiery reaction were a result of something he never said.
“I’m still wondering, to be honest, because I don’t think he had any reason to throw me out,” Contreras said after the game. “I didn’t argue any pitch in any at-bat and I didn’t argue any pitch in my last at-bat. The only thing I said was, ‘Call the pitches for both sides because you are missing for us.’ He threw me out and he had no reason for it. Apparently, he heard something [he thought] I said, and I did not say that.”
Contreras was restrained by Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol, but he still appeared to contact Thomas after walking toward him. Then, after slamming his helmet to the turf while being restrained by bench coach Daniel Descalso, Contreras flung his bat backward, and it hit Cardinals hitting coach Brant Brown on the arm. Continuing to show his displeasure with the ejection, Contreras then threw his shin guard and a bucket of gum onto the playing field.
“I was just walking back to the dugout with my head down, and I knew that I struck out on a good pitch and I didn’t argue any of the pitches in any of the at-bats because I know he’s a good umpire,” Contreras said. “[The ejection] surprised me because I knew the game was [within one run]. I don’t want to get thrown out in a close game like that.”
Contreras’ ejection was the first by a Cardinals player this season. It was the ninth ejection of his MLB career. Marmol was ejected following Contreras’ tirade. It is his MLB-high sixth ejection of the season and the 21st of his four-year managerial career.
