The Washington Nationals took on the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night in a game that featured an ugly moment between some fans at Nationals Park and Cubs catcher Willson Contreras.
According to Cubs beat writer Meghan Montemurro, Contreras was heckled by a fan at the game and said some things that clearly got to him.
The fan was speaking Spanish, something that Contreras is well versed in being from Venezuela, and apparently said some very vulgar things to the All-Star catcher after a sac-fly in the 10th inning. He was subsequently escorted out of the stadium after the incident.
While Contreras didn’t go into specifics, it appeared to be something about his family.
“What he said got under my skin,” Contreras said. “We’re speaking the same language. I know what he means. If somebody tried to mess up my family, they’re going to (have to go through) me first. Whatever they said it wasn’t healthy. It was not right.”
Willson Contreras had heated words with Spanish-speaking Latino fan after sac fly in 10th. Didn't want to get into specifics but said, "If somebody tried to mess up my family, they're going to (have to go through) me first. Whatever they said it wasn't healthy. It was not right."
— Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) August 17, 2022
The Nationals organization has made a decision on the incident, banning two fans that were involved in the heckling of Contreras for five years from all events at Nationals Park.
Two fans have been banned from Nationals Park for five years because of this incident last night involving Willson Contreras, according to the Nationals. https://t.co/5wSxdXQmx4
— Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) August 17, 2022
Players hear all sorts of criticism and bashing from fans, so it must have been something pretty serious to earn that kind of reaction from Contreras. Unless the catcher chooses to speak more on the matter, it will likely remain unclear exactly what the fans were saying to him.
However, the indication that it could be related to his family is extremely distasteful and the Nationals organization did the right thing in banning those who were a part of the interaction.
