Willson Contreras, now with the Red Sox, took a lighthearted approach after getting hit by a pitch from Astros starter Mike Burrows. The incident occurred in the first inning of Friday night's game in Boston. Contreras retrieved the ball and flipped it back to the pitcher on his way to first base.
In Boston, Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras faced a 95 mph sinker from Houston Astros starter Mike Burrows in the first inning. After being plunked, Contreras jogged to pick up the ball in front of home plate and tossed it back to Burrows without confrontation. He reached first base safely and later added a single in the third inning, reaching base in his first two plate appearances that night. This marked his seventh hit-by-pitch of the season, tying for the most in the American League and trailing only Iván Herrera's eight across MLB. Since 2018, Contreras has been hit 129 times, the most of any player in that span, tying Justin Turner for 36th on the all-time list with 136. Earlier this season in early April, Contreras reacted more strongly to being hit by Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Brandon Woodruff, voicing frustration in postgame comments about their past NL Central rivalry from his Cubs and Cardinals days.
