Add The New York Post on Google A fan let Willson Contreras have it — and the Red Sox first baseman returned the favor.
Contreras was booed by the Fenway Park crowd after getting thrown out jogging to first base in the bottom of the 10th inning in a 7-6 loss to the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.
The 34-year-old antagonized the home crowd by putting his hand to his ear and was among the Boston players to engage in a longer altercation with a fan behind the dugout.
Boston Red Sox’s Willson Contreras throws down his bat during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Boston. AP Photo/CJ Gunther Contreras continued his back-and-forth with the fan after the final out, getting security involved as tensions escalated.
“Nothing,” Contreras said of what the conversation entailed. “He was inviting me to dinner. I was like, ‘Nah, I’m good with it.’”
It’s the latest testy moment of the season for him.
On April 8, during a loss to the Athletics, he was booed for not running out a grounder. He was suspended seven games for his helmet-throwing role in a benches-clearing brawl with the Nationals in July — not long after challenging a fan to fight on Instagram.
Contreras has been battling a nagging hamstring injury, which he has been upfront about.
“If you’re a smart fan, you know what’s going on,” he said of getting booed. “I’m not going to make any excuses because it’s not an excuse. It’s real. I just want to play through it.
“It’s just part of the game. I’m not gonna get hurt running on a ground ball. If you’re a real fan and you know baseball, there’s no case for me to hustle out of the box. I’m not 100 percent. We never are, but I’m taking care of my leg. If I have to run, I push it a little bit. If I don’t, my manager has my back. I talked to him and he gave me permission to do whatever it takes to take care of my legs and that’s it.”
Despite the incidents with fans, Contreras, who came to the Red Sox in an offseason trade with the Cardinals, is enjoying his first year in Beantown.
“I won’t change my mind about Boston or the fans,” Contreras said. “I think it’s the best place to play baseball. If I was 100 percent, they wouldn’t boo me because I was gonna hustle down the line. But that won’t change my perspective about being a Red Sox and being in Boston. I get goosebumps every time I think about Boston and I’m in the right place.”
The Red Sox sit at 68-59 in a tight American League East race, third in the division and 5 1/2 games ahead of the Twins for the second wild-card spot. They get a day off on Thursday after 16 straight days of games in which they went 8-8.
Contreras appears to be among those in need of the respite.
