ST. LOUIS — Willson Contreras said he did not believe he had any reason to be ejected after he was thrown out in the bottom of the seventh inning of Monday’s series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates, causing an intense altercation with home-plate umpire Derek Thomas.
With the Cardinals leading 6-5, Contreras was rung up on a called strike three on a pitch that appeared to land in the strike zone. On his way back to the dugout, Contreras said something to Thomas, who promptly ejected him. The 33-year-old came charging back at Thomas as manager Oli Marmol tried to intervene, but the heated exchange quickly turned into mayhem.
Contreras had to be restrained by Marmol and bench coach Daniel Descalso as he slammed his helmet to the ground. As Marmol and Thomas continued arguing at home plate, Descalso attempted to have Contreras leave the field. Contreras spun around and threw his bat in the direction of home plate, striking hitting coach Brant Brown on the arm.
Willson Contreras was VERY mad.
He ends up ejected and finished his night by throwing a bucket of Hi-Chew on the field. pic.twitter.com/7GMWJi5jnR
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) August 26, 2025
Various items were thrown onto the field once Descalso had Contreras in the dugout, including a piece of protection equipment and a bucket of Hi-Chew candy, with multiple members of the Cardinals staff, including coach Stubby Clapp and Alec Burleson, scrambling to pick them up. Marmol was also thrown out, his major-league-leading sixth managerial ejection of the year.
“I don’t think he had any reason to throw me out,” Contreras said postgame after the Cardinals won 7-6 thanks to a walk-off solo homer from Burleson. “I didn’t argue any pitch in any at-bat. The only thing I said was, ‘Call the pitches for both sides, because you’re missing for us.’
“I turned around, he threw me out, he had no reason for it. Apparently he heard something that I said, but I didn’t say that.”
Contreras, who became the first Cardinals player ejected from a game this season, declined to elaborate on what Thomas believed he had heard but reiterated that he was not arguing balls and strikes.
“I knew I struck out on a good pitch,” Contreras said. “He’s a good umpire, but all I said was call the pitches for both sides. It surprised me because I knew the game was a (one-run) game. I don’t want to get thrown out in close games like that.”
Marmol was also confused about the ejection and said postgame that he was caught “off guard.”
“I looked at the video,” Marmol said. “I didn’t see what Derek said about what came out of Willson’s mouth. Looking at the video, I just don’t see it. We’ll continue to review it and make sure everybody’s on the same page, but I don’t think — from what I understand — there was anything to get ejected for.”
Speaking to a pool reporter, crew chief Jordan Baker said both Contreras and Marmol were ejected for “saying vulgar stuff to the plate (umpire), Derek Thomas.”
When asked if there was belief that Contreras intentionally made contact with an umpire, Baker said: “There was contact made. We’re going to review the tape and what the office sends to us, and we’ll send it in, send the report in to Major League Baseball and let them handle that part of it.”
Contreras admitted he was frustrated with being thrown out over something he didn’t say and did not mean to make contact with any umpire. He also said he did not realize where Brown was when he threw the bat.
Brown had come onto the field in an attempt to de-escalate the situation and was trailing Contreras and Descalso while conversing with first-base umpire Stu Scheurwater when he was hit by the bat.
“I apologized to (Brown),” Contreras said. “I wasn’t looking back, I just threw the bat back. That was not on purpose.”
A suspension is possible for Contreras, and the Cardinals will wait to hear back from Major League Baseball regarding any consequences.
“We’ll dive into and see where this leads, but it’s unfortunate,” Marmol said. “I was more concerned with what happened afterwards, because it doesn’t lead to an ejection if we get that part right. But we’ll have to dive into it and make sure what Willson is saying is what happened, but I believe him.”
(Photo: Jeff Curry / Imagn Images)
