Unable to stop his momentum, Willson Contreras crashed into Twins catcher Victor Caratini on Saturday. That collision sent Cartini tumbling into the dirt. He got up immediately, visibly angry, and stopped Contreras to exchange a few words. This led to both benches emptying on the field.

Willson Contreras has a history of getting involved in bench-clearing incidents, sometimes even sparking those himself. This is the third time he has been at the centre of one in the last 18 months. However, on Saturday, Contreras was the one who remained calm amidst the chaos. Underdog MLB posted the video on X.

At Fenway Park, the Twins were leading 2-0. Contreras attempted to score from first on Ceddanne Rafaela’s RBI double at the bottom of the fourth. Contreras ran through the stop sign that the Red Sox third base coach Chad Epperson showed. However, as Contreras failed to stop himself, he sent Caratini toppling at home plate.

Despite the collision not being very forceful, Caratini was apparently not pleased with Contreras.

Immediately after the incident, the Red Sox hitter put his hands up and started walking towards the dugout. But Caratini stopped Contreras to have a word with him, causing the benches to clear on both sides. Players rushed to the field, including the bullpen, ready to defend their own teammate.

Fortunately, the situation did not escalate any further, and no punches were thrown. Everyone escaped the situation scot-free, and neither player was ejected, as they were not involved in any illegal move.

Contreras, who was acquired by Boston this offseason, is no stranger to on-field drama. Last season, with the Cardinals, while facing the San Diego Padres, Contreras was hit by a 0-1 pitch from Nick Pivetta. The pitch hit his elbow pad area, and the first baseman began yelling at the pitcher as he walked down to first base. As Contreras continued yelling despite the Padres catcher Elias Diaz’s intervention, benches cleared on both sides.

Contreras also had a meltdown against the Pittsburgh Pirates in August 2025. After home plate umpire Derek Thomas called him out on strikes in the seventh inning, Contreras argued the call. Thomas immediately ejected him, triggering a massive tantrum. As coaches held Contreras back from charging the umpire, he chucked his bat and hit a Cardinals staff member in the face. He also tossed a tub of HI-CHEW candies onto the field.

However, it was not the same with Caratini, as the Red Sox player already knows him well, having played for the Chicago Cubs together. Following the game, Contreras reacted to the incident.

Contreras revealed the collision was not intentional

Against the Twins on Saturday, Willson Contreras recorded 2 hits and a run in his 3 at-bats, alongside a single walk. During the incident, as the throw beat him to the home plate, Caratini tagged Contreras out just before he crashed into the Twins catcher. However, Contreras has revealed that the hit was not intentional; he just could not control his speed.

“No, it wasn’t anything malicious or anything at all, it was not bad intention,” said Contreras, per MLB.com. “I played with Caratini with [the Cubs for a] long time, so there weren’t any bad intentions behind that. When I was getting to home plate, when I thought it was going to be out, I tried to stop myself, but at the end of the day, if I dive, I might have hit him harder.”

The Red Sox lost 4-2. During their exchange on the field, Caratini suggested Contreras should have slid. However, he believes that contact would have been much harder if he indeed slid into home plate.

While Caratini chose to decline from commenting on the incident owing to their friendship, Contreras expressed his surprise at the way things unfolded.

“That is an organization I respect a lot, and I’ve never had any kind of problem with them. Even more with Caratini behind the plate, he’s a guy that is a close friend of mine,” remarked Contreras, per MLB.com. “For him to get that mad at that, it was kind of surprising. For the benches to empty, that was surprising as well.”

The umpires issued a warning to both benches before play resumed. The Red Sox will again face the Twins, aiming to avoid a series sweep.