ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) 鈥� Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras offered an emotional apology for his involvement in a pair of bench-clearing incidents against the New York Yankees and Washington Nationals this past week.
Contreras, who is appealing the seven-game suspension he received from Major League Baseball for his part in a heated dispute with Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli Tuesday night, had just finished addressing reporters about his All-Star snub when he continued to speak through his interpreter in Spanish.
鈥淥ne thing I want to add, on the record,鈥� Contreras said before Saturday night鈥檚 game against the Los Angeles Angels, 鈥渋s an apology for all of the events from last week, all of the (were at Fenway Park) are very hard. It was a very emotional time for me.
鈥�(People) won鈥檛 understand why I鈥檓 apologizing now, but I think it鈥檚 something that鈥檚 important for me to do, to apologize because I feel that it was an emotional time, and those situations could have been avoided and controlled and handled better.鈥�
Benches cleared when Contreras stared down Yankees starter Will Warren last weekend, but the incident did not escalate.
But Tuesday night, when Cavalli shouted at Contreras after striking him out looking at a full-count pitch, Contreras threw his helmet at Cavalli and approached him on the mound. The two began jawing at each other, and both dugouts and bullpens emptied.
Contreras, who hit a three-run homer in the first inning Saturday night鈥揾is 19th of the season鈥揻ought back tears as he processed the fallout from his on-field turmoil and the struggles of his native Venezuela, which was hit by two powerful earthquakes this past week.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a really tough week, an emotional week for me,鈥� Contreras said. 鈥淚 hope that (people) understand how emotional it鈥檚 been. I鈥檒l prove myself with my actions on the field moving forward and show them the kind of person that I truly am.鈥�
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