Willson Contreras on Brewers: ‘Next time they hit me again, I’m going to take one of them out’

Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras is quite displeased with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Contreras was hit by a pitch from Brewers right-hander Brandon Woodruff in the third inning of Monday night’s game at Fenway Park.

It’s the sixth time in his career that Contreras has been hit by a pitch from Woodruff, and it’s the 24th time in his career that he’s been hit by a pitch from the Brewers. The three-time All-Star catcher played in the same NL Central division as Milwaukee over his seven years with the Chicago Cubs and his three years with the St. Louis Cardinals. He’s been hit by a total of 131 pitches in his MLB career.

After yelling at Woodruff while taking his free base, Contreras took a hard slide into second base one batter later.

What makes the drama much more compelling is that Contreras’ brother, William, is the starting catcher for the Brewers.

During his postgame media session, Contreras didn’t hold back about his frustration with the Brewers.

“It’s not just a hit-by-pitch,” Contreras explained. “It’s that’s the 24th time that they have hit me in my career. 24th. That’s the sixth [Woodruff has] hit me.”

“And they always say, ‘I’m not trying to hit you,'” Contreras said. “That gets old. So, next time they hit me again, I’m going to take one of them out. That’s what happens. That’s a message. That’s a message.”

“It’s not coincidence,” Contreras continued. “They’re going there with a purpose. That’s fine. That’s pitching. But next time you hit me, the message is clear. I’m going to take one of them out.”

“I mean, we’ve been through that. It’s been nine years for me. It seems like every year,” Woodruff said when asked about the situation. “He’s trying to play a game, and he’s trying to get his side fired up, which is fine. Once I knew what was going on, I wasn’t going to let it affect me on the mound.”

Milwaukee outfielder Christian Yelich told the media, “We’ve seen this skit for the last 10 years. It’s nothing new.”

The Red Sox and Brewers continue their three-game series on Tuesday and Wednesday, and it will certainly be interesting to see what happens if Contreras is hit by a pitch again.