One of the most epic meltdowns of the 2025 Major League Baseball season unfolded Monday night at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, where the Pittsburgh Pirates are visiting the St. Louis Cardinals for a four-game series.
Things got seriously heated in the bottom of the seventh inning with two outs and a runner on first base and Cardinals designated hitter Willson Contreras at the plate. Facing an 0-2 count, Contreras got caught looking when Yohan Ramírez fired a fastball down the middle for a third strike. Home plate umpire Derek Thomas correctly called it a strike.
Contreras didn’t seem to disagree with the call as he left the batter’s box and headed back to the dugout. But, out of nowhere, things 0 to 100 in a split second, as a hot Contreras turned around and barked at Thomas.
It’s hard to tell, but it appears Contreras tells Thomas he didn’t say anything. Contreras appears to mouth, “I did not [say that],” at least three times before unleashing his wrath on Thomas.
“Now, f–k off! F–k you! … f–k off, b–ch! F–k off!” Contreras appears to mouth as he’s being restrained by the coaching staff.
“Willson was hot. My guess is that he heard something. And then, Mount Vesuvius happened.”
“Frustration understood. It happens. Not to that extent though.”
Cardinals announcers Chip Caray and Brad Thompson react as Willson Contreras and Oliver Marmol are ejected. pic.twitter.com/su5ccbUgc6
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 26, 2025
Still fuming, Contreras tossed his bat in the direction of first base umpire Stu Scheurwater. The bat instead ends up hitting Cardinals hitting coach Brant Brown.
And, in his final act of defiance, it appears Contreras tossed a bucket of gum onto the field, which further delayed the game.
Contreras needs to pick better battles pic.twitter.com/lkgcbyAyHR
— The Todd Squad (@todsqd) August 26, 2025
Contreras says he’s confused
The veteran star spoke to reporters after the game and said, via The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, that he’s confused about why Thomas ejected him from the game.
Contreras insists Thomas threw him out “for nothing.”
“I’m still wondering to be honest,” Contreras said. “I don’t think he had reason to throw me out. I didn’t argue any pitch in my last at-bat. The only thing I said was, ‘Call the pitch on both sides because you’re missing for us.’ I turned around, the next thing I hear they threw me out. He had no reason for it.”
Contreras apologizes to his coach
“I apologized to him,” said Contreras, of hitting his coach in the face. “I wasn’t looking back, I just threw my bat back … that was not on purpose.”
The Cardinals won the game, 7-6. Contreras will likely face a suspension for the outburst, though MLB has not yet weighed in on the matter.
