Brewers Outlast Red Sox in Tense Fenway Showdown With Contreras Drama

The Milwaukee Brewers came to Boston and left with an 8-6 win on Monday night, but the scoreboard tells only part of the story. What really went down at Fenway Park was a continuation of one of baseball's longest-running feuds, and this time the Brewers got the last laugh.

Willson Contreras, the Red Sox catcher and former Cubs and Cardinals lifer, came in expecting trouble from Brandon Woodruff and the Brewers. He wasn't wrong. In the third inning, Woodruff threw a 92.9 mph sinker high and tight over Contreras' knuckles. The umpire called it a hit by pitch. Contreras screamed toward Woodruff on his way to first base while his younger brother William, Milwaukee's catcher, stepped between them to keep things from escalating further.

A Beef That Goes Back a Decade

"I mean, we've seen that skit for the last 10 years," said Brewers veteran Christian Yelich. "It's nothing new."

This isn't casual friction. Contreras has been hit by 131 pitches in his career, and the Brewers account for 24 of them, 10 more than any other team. Woodruff himself has plunked Contreras six times in 28 career matchups. The history runs deep. Contreras played 121 games against Milwaukee during his first 10 MLB seasons in the National League Central with the Cubs and Cardinals before getting traded to Boston in December. Woodruff is the Brewers' longest-tenured player, so they've seen plenty of each other.

The tension boiled over before. Back in 2021, Cubs reliever Ryan Tepera fired a fastball behind Woodruff's legs in retaliation for Contreras being hit. Contreras then crushed a go-ahead homer and shushed the Milwaukee crowd rounding the bases.

On Monday, the Brewers challenged the hit by pitch call. Slow-motion replay showed it was incredibly close, but the replay official in New York returned with "call stands," meaning the video evidence was inconclusive.

Yelich's Eight-Inning Heroics Seal It

The drama with Contreras didn't derail Woodruff, who pitched into the sixth inning despite everything. "Once I knew what was going on, I wasn't going to let it affect me on the mound," Woodruff said. "I knew I had a job to do."

Yelich reached safely four times and scored an insurance run in the eighth when Boston left fielder Roman Anthony's throwing error allowed him to race home from first on Garrett Mitchell's go-ahead single. Yelich dove headfirst, jumped up and celebrated like October baseball had arrived in early April.

Contreras reached safely five times total on the night, tying a career high, including a ninth-inning homer off Angel Zerpa. But the Brewers held on.

Milwaukee improved to 8-2, tying the MLB best record. The Red Sox dropped to 2-8, the worst in baseball.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.