A benches clearing incident broke out during the Washington Nationals 8-1 win over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night at Fenway Park.
The trouble started in the bottom of the fourth inning. Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli struck out Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras looking on a 3-2 pitch. Cavalli then yelled something toward Contreras, reportedly including the phrase “Sit down, boy.” Contreras responded and began moving toward the mound area. He threw his batting helmet in that direction, with the helmet striking or landing near Nationals first baseman Andres Chaparro.
Both benches and bullpens emptied quickly. Players from each side pushed and shoved in the middle of the field. No punches landed, but the delay lasted nearly 11 minutes while umpires restored order.
Four people were ejected, Contreras, Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy, Red Sox outfielder Nate Eaton, and Nationals pitcher Miles Mikolas. Cavalli stayed in the game and finished with a career high 13 strikeouts. Contreras was tossed for the second straight game.
The Nationals took control after the incident, with their offense adding runs against the Red Sox bullpen. The brawl became the main talking point from a game that also featured strong pitching from Cavalli on the mound for Washington.