Nationals’ Cade Cavalli admits to calling Contreras ‘boy,’ says he’s ‘torn up’

BOSTON — Nationals right-hander Cade Cavalli had to face the consequences of his actions.

​Cavalli acknowledged Wednesday that he shouted at Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras to, “Sit down, boy,” after striking him out in the fourth inning of Tuesday’s 8-1 win. Contreras was irate after the exchange that spilled into a benches-clearing brawl between the two teams.

​Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy, outfielder Nate Eaton and Contreras were ejected from the game, as was Nationals right-hander Miles Mikolas. Cavalli reiterated postgame that he had told Contreras, “Sit down,” but stopped short of saying he called the veteran first baseman “boy.” NESN, the Red Sox’s TV network, picked up audio of Cavalli telling Contreras to “Sit down, boy.”

​Nationals manager Blake Butera and president of baseball operations Paul Toboni met with Cavalli this morning when they arrived at the ballpark. Toboni lauded Cavalli as a leader and a “guy of great values,” but acknowledged that Cavalli understood that the intent didn’t matter because his language offended other people. Cavalli said that he was “torn up about the way things were perceived.”

​“His choice of words was not ideal, and candidly, I think he was unaware it might have induced a negative reaction from folks,” Toboni said. “But we talked a lot about that, and I think now he understands it. I think it’s something that in the past he’s used in the spirit of competition with his brother, with his dad, whoever it might be. But Cade, being the guy that he is now, understands how it might not be received that way from other folks. Moving forward, it’s something that he’s committed to eliminating from his vocabulary.”

​Cavalli will not face any further discipline from the team.

​“I think a lot of that, in my opinion, has to do with the intention behind it,” Toboni said. “He just used a set of words that he did not intend to demean someone in some racial way. I think if Blake and I and others felt differently about that, we would think differently about the discipline, but it’s clear to us that Cade did not realize that. He’s committed to being better going forward.”

In the United States, the word “boy” has historically been used to belittle non-white men. It stems from the Jim Crow era, and the word was used to put minority men in their place and demean them as lesser.

​Cavalli said he was “torn up” about how his comments were perceived. He didn’t understand how the public was displeased with what he said until he checked his phone back at the team hotel.

​“There’s a history behind that word, and that’s just something that as a competitor, like in football or in basketball, playing ball with my brother, you don’t understand it, and then it gets perceived in a way that was not my intention,” Cavalli said.

​Despite Cavalli’s remorse, he didn’t have any plans to reach out personally to Contreras. Contreras said postgame that he didn’t know if Cavalli’s comments were racially motivated and that he would let “MLB handle that.” The league is investigating Tuesday night’s brawl.

​“I have not reached out to him,” Cavalli said. “I know that we’re both competitors. I hope that he hears this and he understands that was not what was intended at all, and I think he knows that. But if I see him, I want to make sure that he knows that.”

​During his pregame media session, Toboni repeatedly emphasized the importance of accountability and his hope that Cavalli grows from this situation.

Cavalli said that it broke his heart knowing how his word choice might have made kids feel differently about him, and that he felt awful about the reaction to the situation.

Accountability on the field has been an emphasis for the Nationals, but this incident highlights the importance of upholding a high standard for players off of it, as well.

“If he’s holding himself accountable, but he doesn’t really believe that, like those sets of words could offend someone, then is it really accountability?” Toboni said. “Probably not, but Cade, I think he really gets it. He’s internalized it. He wants to be accountable to it, and honestly, accountable just going forward to being a better leader and role model. He’s committed to being the best version of himself going forward, and he will. I’m really confident in that, because of who Cade is as a human being.”

Cavalli said Tuesday that the friction with Contreras began after the Boston first baseman brushed past him in the first inning. Contreras and Tracy both said that Contreras apologized for the incident, but Cavalli said he “didn’t receive an apology from anyone.”