(Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail)
Cardinals’ Willson Contreras Suspended Six Games After Ejection Incident
St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras has been handed a six-game suspension and an undisclosed fine following his outburst during Monday night’s 7-6 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Contreras has announced that he plans to appeal the suspension, meaning it will not take effect immediately. He remained in the lineup for Tuesday’s 8-3 loss to Pittsburgh, going 0-for-3 while driving in a run with a groundout in the sixth inning.
The incident occurred after Contreras was ejected in the seventh inning. During his tirade, he accidentally struck Cardinals hitting coach Brant Brown with a thrown bat and tossed bubble gum onto the field. Manager Oliver Marmol was also ejected after a heated argument over a called third strike.
Contreras stated he did not understand the ejection, insisting he had only disputed balls and strikes with plate umpire Derek Thomas and did not direct any disrespectful comments.
However, crew chief Jordan Baker reported that Contreras and Marmol were removed from the game for using “vulgar language” toward the umpire and for Contreras making contact with the plate umpire during the argument.
The Cardinals and fans now await the outcome of Contreras’ appeal as the team prepares for the next series.
