Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli addressed the media on Wednesday after a benches-clearing incident the previous evening at Fenway Park. The fracas occurred during an 8-1 Nationals win over the Red Sox when Cavalli shouted at Willson Contreras after striking him out. Both Cavalli and Nationals president of baseball operations Paul Toboni discussed the matter publicly.
The incident took place in the fourth inning on Tuesday. After striking out Contreras, Cavalli was heard yelling “Sit down, boy!” Contreras approached the mound, leading to a minor scuffle in which he threw his helmet toward the pitcher. Contreras, Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy, utility player Nate Eaton and Nationals pitcher Miles Mikolas were all ejected.
Cavalli expressed regret on Wednesday morning. “I’m extremely torn up about the way that things were perceived,” he said. “Obviously, there was no ill intention behind that.” He added that the words hurt his heart when considering how they might affect a young Black fan in Washington, D.C.
Toboni confirmed the team would not discipline Cavalli. He noted Cavalli had used the phrase in a competitive context with family members and now understands it may be received differently. “He’s committed to eliminating [it] from his vocabulary,” Toboni said.
Cavalli pitched seven innings in the game, allowing one run on one hit with 13 strikeouts.
