Willson Contreras Speaks on Venezuela Tragedy After Tumultuous Game

Jun 5, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras (40) reacts after an RBI single during the third inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Willson Contreras Speaks on Venezuela Tragedy After Tumultuous Game

Originally posted on Boston Red Sox on SI
By Jackson Roberts | Last updated Jun 30, 2026 9:00 AM ET

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Willson Contreras was the Boston Red Sox's most impactful player once again on Monday, but he found himself watching the final seven innings from the clubhouse.

In the bottom of the first inning, Contreras launched a mammoth three-run homer against Washington Nationals starter Miles Mikolas. The very next inning, he got ejected by first-base umpire Nic Lentz for tapping his helmet when he disagreed with the check-swing call that resulted in his strikeout, which is grounds for an automatic ejection if an umpire wants to use it.

The backdrop of the entire night, however, was the ongoing trouble in Contreras' home country of Venezuela. A pair of earthquakes last Wednesday created a death toll of at least 1,700 and worsened the country's humanitarian crisis, and baseball's stars from the small Latin American nation have been playing with increased emotion ever since.

What Contreras said about emotional night

Contreras told the media after the game that the events in Venezuela were weighing heavily on his mind. When he homered in the first, he flipped his bat to the sky and screamed into the home dugout in celebration -- then spent the rest of the half-inning in tears on the bench as teammates and coaches came to console him.

“I wasn’t feeling good the whole day. I was really kind of down, sad,” said Contreras, per Sean McAdam of MassLive. “I hit the homer and the first thing that came out of my mouth (on the way to first base) was ‘Venezuela,’ ‘’

Contreras didn't give a particularly direct quote about the ejection, which nearly everyone in Red Sox Nation blamed on Lentz for being unable to read the room. An umpire's lack of feel aside, it was hard not to empathize with the slugger, who wore a "VZ" on his cap to honor the victims and survivors in Venezuela.

"I feel like I could be there helping people, and I can’t do that," said Contreras, per McAdam. "The homer just represents something that I prayed to God to happen because that’s the only thing I can do for Venezuela right now, physically."

The Red Sox have a huge Venezuelan contingent -- Contreras is joined by starting pitcher Ranger Suárez, outfielder Wilyer Abreu, infielder Andruw Monasterio, and catcher Carlos Narváez. How that group is finding the strength to help power a five-game winning streak is beyond most of us, but it's a reminder that the lives of baseball players are a lot more than the production we see for a few hours each night.

This article first appeared on Boston Red Sox on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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