The media backlash was so vociferous, the embarrassed Mozeliak and Marmol backed off and put Contreras back at catcher. How is it even possible to be this dopey? The Cardinals spent $87.5 million free-agent dollars on Contreras - only to quickly turn on him after realizing Contreras wasn’t up to Yadier Molina’s level defensively. It was a gutless, cheapjack move that subjected Contreras to unwarranted attention and humiliation. “Contreras is not going to be catching for a foreseeable timetable,” Mozeliak said at the time. And they even planned to rotate Contreras into the mix at left field before realizing the stupidity of adding another player to the outfield logjam. I suppose Mikolas thinks we’ve all forgotten how Cardinals pitchers back-stabbed Contreras early in the season, whining about his work behind the plate so much that manager Oli Marmol and president of baseball operations John Mozeliak bounced Contreras from the catcher spot after 26 games to make him DH. He’s my catcher, and I consider him a really good friend now.” You also have to appreciate the irony of Mikolas saying “in any circumstance, I’ve got Willson’s back. That cushion was more than enough for their starting pitcher Justin Steele, who owned the Cardinals (again) by giving up one run in six innings. The next four-batter sequence went like this: single, walk, bases-loaded walk, and two-run double. Dakota Hudson was rushed into the game, and wasn’t ready. Happ was on first base, giving the Cubs a chance to get on the board. He was ejected after throwing 14 pitches, forcing the Cardinals to lean on a raggedy bullpen for the final 25 outs. Mikolas didn’t help his team at all Thursday. In their dugout, the Cubs laughed about it. Happ wasn’t in any physical pain after Mikolas found Happ’s padded area on the second pitch. If honor-code vengeance was the motive, then what exactly did this accomplish? Happ wasn’t rattled by the jaw-level first pitch. Moreover, it wasn’t smart to put Happ on base with a gratuitous hit-by-pitch. But he did just that with the hip shot, doubling up on a point he’d already made to Happ. Everyone on both sides understood the meaning behind the sequence There was no need to create and force more drama. But even then, the symbolic admonishment was sufficient. If Mikolas meant to hit Happ with the first zoom-in pitch – only to miss – that’s the pitcher’s fault. I’m not sure why anyone thinks it’s OK for Mikolas to get two free shots at Happ. And while I agree with critics who say the umpiring crew should have issued a warning after the first missive delivered by Mikolas, I don’t fault them for expelling Mikolas from the game. But rather than move on, Mikolas plunked Happ on the outer rump on the next pitch. In baseball this is traditionally known as a purpose pitch, and Happ understood. Mikolas didn’t like what happened to Contreras, and made the undeniable point to Happ. When play resumed, Mikolas threw a pitch up-and-in and close to Happ’s head. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-USA TODAY Sports Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas (39) after Mikolas hits Chicago Cubs left fielder Ian Happ (not pictured) in the first inning at Busch Stadium. Louis, Missouri, USA Home plate umpire Ryan Additon (67) throws out St. Contreras forgave Happ with the hug, and the unfortunate episode should have ended right there. So it was just a scary moment.”Īccidents happen in baseball. “We texted a little bit after the game, and he’s doing all right. “We’re good friends and have a lot of love for him, so to see him go down and be bleeding from the head, it’s obviously a scary moment,” Happ told reporters after the game. And as Contreras began to leave the field, he paused to hug Happ. Happ near home plate and watched Contreras being tended to by St. Happ and Contreras played together for the Cubs from 2017 through 2022 and still have a strong relationship. To be clear, Happ had no intention to harm his friend and former teammate. The blow knocked the bloodied Contreras out in the first inning, only three batters into Thursday’s 10-3 rout by the Cubs. We can call Happ careless for failing to control his follow-through after taking a big swing-and-miss that opened a laceration on the side of the catcher’s head. Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas may have been trying to do the right thing, at least in his mind, by sticking up for teammate Willson Contreras after the catcher was skulled on a backswing by Cubs hitter Ian Happ.
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