Former Cardinal Willson Contreras promises revenge after another hit by pitch

Over the last 50 years in Major League Baseball, only one player has been hit by a pitch more than 20 times by the same team in fewer than 500 plate appearances. That man is first baseman Willson Contreras.

On Monday night against the Milwaukee Brewers, former St. Louis Cardinals and current Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras was hit by a pitch thrown by starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff. This was the 24th time that a Brewers pitcher has plunked Contreras and the sixth time that Woodruff has done so.

Since 2016 — the year Contreras debuted — he has been hit the third-most times in Major League Baseball (131 times). Willson is now fed up with being plunked.

Former St. Louis Cardinals catcher and first baseman Willson Contreras threatens revenge on the Milwaukee Brewers if he's hit again by a pitch.

After Monday night's game, Contreras had some choice words for the Milwaukee Brewers.

“It’s not just the hit-by-pitch, it’s the 24th pitch they’ve hit me in my career — 24th,” Contreras said after Boston’s 8-6 loss. “That’s the sixth time (Brandon Woodruff) has hit me, and they always say, ‘I’m not trying to hit you.’ That gets old. So next time they hit me again, I’m going to take one of them out. That’s the message.”

While with the Chicago Cubs, Contreras was hit 16 times by the Brewers. He was hit seven times by Brewers pitchers while in St. Louis. This hit by pitch made it his 24th and the sixth by Brandon Woodruff alone. Clearly, Contreras is getting sick and tired of these antics. His 24 hit-by-pitches in 121 games against the Brewers are the most hit-by-pitches by one team against any active player.

Last year, Contreras expressed frustration after getting hit by a pitch for the 15th time that year on July 26. Contreras's ire was directed at the Cardinals' pitchers, pleading them to stand up for him and defend him.

“It’s frustrating. It gets old,” Contreras said after the game against the San Diego Padres. “I know they’re not trying to hit me in the hand. I’m a human being. It gets old. I want to play. I want to stay in the game. I don’t know what to say about it. Protect myself, and hopefully somebody protects me.”

Contreras certainly stands closer to the plate than the average player, but he's not the closest by any stretch of the imagination. According to Baseball Savant, Contreras has stood an average of 30.4 inches off the plate since 2023. He does have a tendency to lean his elbow in more than the average hitter, but he's not "crowding the plate" by any means. However, he is still a player prone to getting hit by pitches. His open stance (7 degrees open) should limit his hit-by-pitches if anything.

Willson Contreras is known to have a fiery personality on the field. He's expressed plenty of emotion throughout his career, and Boston Red Sox fans are getting a firsthand look at that intensity. He's a player you hate going against but love having on your team.