Washington Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli issued an apology on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, after shouting a controversial phrase at Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras during an 8-1 victory in Boston.
The incident occurred in the fourth inning when Cavalli struck out Contreras looking and told him to "sit down, boy."
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This sparked a benches-clearing scrum.
The right-hander gave up one hit and struck out a career-high 13 batters over seven innings, snapping Boston's five-game winning streak, according to the Associated Press.
The confrontation led to the ejections of Contreras, Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy, Boston outfielder Nate Eaton, and Washington pitcher Miles Mikolas.
Contreras had yelled back at Cavalli, charged the mound, and attempted to throw his helmet over a group of players before being restrained.
"I'm extremely torn up about the way that things were perceived," said Cavalli, addressing the public reaction to his word choice.
"Obviously, there was no ill intention behind that."
The term carries a racist history in the United States, though Contreras demurred when asked postgame if he felt the comment had a racial component.
Cavalli noted that he could not sleep because of how his words might impact young fans.
"My teammates know me, my family knows me, this organization knows me," Cavalli stated. "I couldn't sleep because of it.
It hurt my heart, knowing that, if there's a 13-year-old Black kid in D. C.
