The benches cleared during Saturday’s game between the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins after a rare home plate collision between Boston’s Willson Contreras and Twins catcher Victor Caratini.
Contreras was attempting to score from first in the fourth inning of Saturday’s game at Fenway Park in Boston, Mass., but the throw from right was well ahead of him. Contreras ran into the out, but as he did so, he bowled over Caratini while the catcher was attempting to make the tag.
Contreras put both hands up while walking to the dugout as if to signify that he had not meant anything by the play, but Caratini was not buying it and wanted a word with him. That caused the benches to clear.
Benches clear after Contreras collides with Caratini at the plate 👀 pic.twitter.com/MZlIWbVcat
— NESN (@NESN) May 23, 2026
The situation did not escalate further, and understandably so. There did not appear to be anything illegal about Contreras’ move, as he was just trying to touch home plate. Caratini had to lean back a bit to tag him, which led to the collision. Contreras, himself a longtime catcher, knows this as well as anyone.
Contreras has a history of on-field confrontations, but he certainly did not appear to be trying to start anything here. Caratini obviously did not want to get bowled over, but it seems he initially felt there was more to the collision than there really was.
