Willson Contreras is a true menace to society.
The St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Contreras went viral during Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Twins for the wrong reason. In the middle of an at-bat against Twins starter Joe Ryan in the fourth inning, Contreras noticed that the batting tape on his lumber was becoming unraveled. As a result, he brought the bat up to his mouth and used his teeth to help rip off the excess tape.
Fair enough, not really an issue. But it was what Contreras did next that truly shocked and offended the conscience. He successfully ripped off the loose tape and then [checks notes] started chewing it up like a piece of gum.
Here is the nasty video.
Baseball players are known for their eccentricities, especially in the middle of games, so a lot of people might not have a problem with what Contreras did there. But we have to draw the line somewhere, particularly since the tape disappeared entirely into Contreras’ mouth, begging the question of if he somehow [looks around shiftily] ate it!
Contreras would go on to strike out swinging in the at-bat, so his new chew toy was not exactly good luck for him. Maybe Contreras was just trying something new after going 0-for-4 on Opening Day against the Twins earlier this week. Or maybe that was just a twisted tribute by Contreras to former MLB All-Star Yasiel Puig, who famously used to lick his bat in the middle of games.
