It’s been an emotional few days for Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras. A native of Venezuela, the tragic earthquakes there have hit him hard. Now, first-base umpire Nic Lentz has given him another reason to be frustrated.
In the bottom of the second inning on Monday night against the Washington Nationals, Contreras struck out on a check swing. It was appealed to Lentz, who called it a full swing. On the video shown by the Red Sox broadcast, it did not appear that Contreras said a word going back to the dugout. Instead, he tapped his helmet, signaling a challenge. Lentz immediately ejected him. You can watch the ejection here:
The ejection was such a surprise that, at first, nobody on the Red Sox even seemed to know that Contreras had been ejected. Interim manager Chad Tracy had to go out and ask. Contreras then went out and, calmly, pleaded his case with Lentz. It was to no avail.
In the broadcast booth, Red Sox color commentator Will Middlebrooks was extremely frustrated with the call, and he let his emotions be known.
“So basically saying, ‘I disagree. I’m challenging that,’” Middlebrooks said on the NESN broadcast. “And you get tossed for that? Are you kidding me? How soft are we getting?… If you shake your head and say, ‘No way?’ That is a joke. That is an absolute joke. That’s embarrassing to the game. The game needs the best players on the field. This is an entertainment business. It’s for the fans. What are you doing? You’re gonna throw a guy out of the game for that? That’s a joke?”
Willson Contreras Hit an Emotional Home Run for the Boston Red Sox, Venezuela
Very few teams are represented by Venezuelan players to the degree that the Boston Red Sox are. Along with Willson Contreras, there are Wilyer Abreu, Ranger Suarez, Andruw Monasterio, and Carlos Narvaez. For all of them, it’s been an emotional few days, as they’ve looked to lead efforts to fundraise for their home country in the wake of the earthquakes that have created so much devastation there.
For his part, Contreras has worn his emotions on his sleeve, and he did exactly that in the first inning of Monday’s game. Hitting a massive home run over the Green Monster, he could be seen shouting, “Venezuela” right after. Shortly after that, he went to the bench and broke down crying.
Contreras has been a sparkplug all season for the Red Sox. At times, that’s looked like it did against the New York Yankees over the weekend, where he helped cause the benches to clear.
With that home run, as well as wearing his emotions on his sleeve right after, he sparked the Red Sox again on Monday, who jumped out ahead of the Nationals.
Venezuela Has a Long Recovery Ahead
On June 24th, two massive earthquakes rocked Venezuela. La Guaira and Caracas were particularly hard hit by the disaster.
As it stands at the time of writing, over 1,700 people are dead, over 5,000 are injured, and more than 46,000 people remain missing. Those numbers of dead and injured will presumably grow as more people are found.
Prior to games, players for the Red Sox have collected donations outside of Fenway Park. That included Contreras, wearing his Venezuela jersey.
The Red Sox Foundation is also running a charity drive to collect for the relief effort. Running through July 1st, they will continue to collect for the relief efforts and accept donations remotely.
“The Red Sox organization has deep ties to the Venezuelan community, both within the clubhouse and throughout Red Sox Nation. The Red Sox Foundation is coordinating with Major League Baseball and the American Red Cross, which alongside the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), is working closely with the Venezuelan Red Cross to assist as relief efforts continue.”
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