Fans are yet to recover from the fist-fighting in the Braves-Angels game, and another altercation is brewing. This time, it’s between the Red Sox and Brewers, and at the center of it is Willson Contreras. As Contreras warned the Brewers after being hit-by-pitch on Monday by Brandon Woodruff, things are surely getting tense. And the former World Series champion pitcher, Lance Lynn, believes that Contreras might not be bluffing.
“I’m gonna say that, yes, if he gets hit again, he’s not going to let those words not be true. So it’s going to be interesting. I don’t think they’ll face each other again this year, so that’s good for him and the league and all that in case it does go down,” Lynn said via Cardinal Territory.
Lynn, who is a former World Series champion (2011) with the Cardinals, has also been a teammate of Contreras. They were both together in the Cardinals for the 2024-2025 seasons, so whatever Lynn says comes from knowing Contreras well.
Things got heated on Monday when a 93 MPH sinker off Woodruff hit Contreras on the hand. Contreras took offense and shared a chilling warning after the game. “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 a message.”
“If he said it, he meant it.”
Knowing him as a former teammate, Lance Lynn says Willson Contreras will get back at the Brewers if they hit him again. pic.twitter.com/eioAxQ3DpD
— Cardinal Territory (@CardTerritory) April 9, 2026
So, Contreras is visibly frustrated with the Brewers’ pitchers targeting him every season. Yes, you heard that right, the hit-by-pitch on Monday was not a one-off. Rather, it was the 24th time that Contreras got hit by a Brewers arm! So, surely his frustration makes sense. His 24 hit-by-pitches against Milwaukee are 10 more than Contreras has against any other MLB team, per ESPN. And to make matters worse, Woodruff alone has now hit Willson Contreras six times in his career.
The next time both teams face off, things will be fired up as the Brewers pitchers are in no mood to cool things off. “We’ve seen that skit for the last 10 years,” Christian Yelich said after Contreras’ warning. Even Woodruff believes he is “trying to get his side fired up” with his reactions to being hit.
Fortunately, the Brewers and the Red Sox would not meet again in the regular season this year. But a playoff between the two in October would be exactly what fans are hoping to see.
Willson Contreras is just what the Red Sox lacked for a long time
The Red Sox had names like Alex Bregman and Rafael Devers at third. They have Garret Crochet in the starting rotation. However, for a long time, the team lacked a proper defensive first baseman. Willson Contreras is filling that exact gap.
Yes, Triston Casas was there in 2025, but Contreras overshadows him. In 2025, Contreras showed great range, finishing with +6 OAA (90th percentile). His arm strength also ranked highly (76th percentile), at 88.2 mph. So, the defense that he offers at first base is unrivaled. In terms of offense, Contreras is miles ahead.
His hard-hit rate (49%) and barrel rate (13.9%) were each excellent. And the best part is that he is one of the game’s elites when it comes to bat speed. Contreras’ 76 mph average bat speed ranked in the 95th percentile among qualified batters in 2025.
Just as the Red Sox are steadily rebounding from their slow start, winning the last two games against the Brewers, a part of the credit goes to Willson Contreras.
In the second game against the Brewers, Contreras scored 1 run and 2 walks from 2 at-bats. In the third game, he scored 1 run and 1 RBI from 4 at-bats. So, defensively and offensively, Contreras is making his presence felt.
And now, with how he threatened the rival pitchers, the Red Sox fans surely love this.
