Cade Cavalli will begin a five-game suspension Monday after the Washington Nationals right-hander appealed an initial decision of seven games for his actions in an altercation with Willson Contreras and the Boston Red Sox last week.
There was no immediate word whether the other three disciplined players — Contreras, Boston’s Nate Eaton or Washington’s Miles Mikolas — would have their suspensions reduced. All four players appealed. Mikolas started the Nationals’ home game Monday against the Houston Astros while his suspension is held in abeyance.
Major League Baseball suspended Cavalli and Contreras for seven games, Mikolas for five and Eaton for three for their roles during a benches-clearing incident last Tuesday. They were also fined an undisclosed amount.
Cavalli apologized Wednesday for his comment toward Contreras that ignited the fracas in the fourth inning of Washington’s 8-1 win. Replay video of the incident found Cavalli had said “Sit down, boy!” after striking Contreras out and used the word “boy” multiple times afterward.
Contreras, who is Venezuelan, said after the game Tuesday that he didn’t know if there were any racial overtones to Cavalli calling him “boy.” Cavalli insisted he did not intend to use the term disparagingly.
“I’m extremely torn up about the way that things were perceived. Obviously, there was no ill intention behind that,” said Cavalli, who added that he understood there was a racist meaning behind certain usages of the term.
“There’s a history behind that word, and that’s just something that as a competitor, like in football or basketball, playing wiffle ball with my brother, you don’t understand it,” Cavalli said. “And then it gets perceived in a way that was not my intention, and then you learn from that. It’ll never happen again.”
Contreras chucked his batting helmet toward Cavalli in the scrum and was thrown out, along with Mikolas and Eaton for their actions. Contreras was also ejected from the prior game for tapping his helmet after a disputed check-swing call, and he was at the center of another benches-emptying incident against the New York Yankees.
Cavalli started Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates while awaiting the outcome of his appeal and lasted just 2 1/3 innings in a no-decision. The 27-year-old, playing in his third MLB season, is 5-4 with a 3.88 ERA in 19 starts.
