Willson Contreras issued a direct warning to the Milwaukee Brewers after being hit by a pitch for the 24th time by them Monday. Plunked on the hand by Brandon Woodruff, the Red Sox first baseman declared, "next time they hit me again, I'm going to take one of them out." His fury capped an 8-6 loss at Fenway Park where he reached base five times and homered.

This incident stems from a long, tense history. Contreras has been hit 131 times in his career, with the Brewers accounting for 24 of those plunkings—far more than any other team. Woodruff alone has nailed him six times. The pattern, noted by both players and Brewers slugger Christian Yelich as a recurring "skit" over nine years, fuels Contreras's belief the hits are intentional.

Boston's latest defeat deepens their early-season crisis. The Red Sox are now 2-8, tied for the worst 10-game start in franchise history. Contreras’s on-field retaliation slide into David Hamilton added another layer to a volatile game that featured a challenge of the HBP call by Brewers manager Pat Murphy. The teams have two games remaining in a series overshadowed by this simmering feud.