St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras was ready to take on the entire Chicago Cubs team after Thursday’s game.
Contreras exchanged words with Cubs reliever Daniel Palencia after Palencia closed out Chicago’s 3-0 win over St. Louis at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Mo. on Thursday. Contreras was on first base when Palencia escaped a jam with two on and had a noisy celebration upon recording the final out, which involved the pitcher turning and seemingly shouting something in Contreras’ general direction.
Contreras took offense to that, and the benches actually cleared. Nothing really came of the situation, as the Cardinals took care to keep Contreras from getting too close to any of the Cubs.
Daniel Palencia and Willson Contreras exchange words after the final out, leading to the benches clearing. pic.twitter.com/vI6BIoNZwD
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) June 26, 2025
Contreras likely felt he was being taunted, whether that was actually the case or not. He did not take kindly to it, which should heat up the rivalry ahead of their next meeting in Chicago next week.
In general, Contreras is not one to hold back when he does not like an opponent’s behavior.
A former Cub, Contreras entered play Thursday hitting .246 with 10 home runs. The Cubs and Cardinals wound up splitting the four-game series in St. Louis, preserving Chicago’s 4.5-game lead over the third-place Cardinals.
