BOSTON (AP) 鈥� Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras knows the people back home in his native Venezuela are hurting as they try to deal with the fallout from a that left hundreds dead.
The pull to return home to help is real. That isn’t an option for Contreras at the moment, so on Monday night against Washington, he did what he could to show that what’s happening back home isn’t far from his mind.
Contreras unleashed a massive bat flip after ripping a 421-foot homer in what became He then broke down in tears in the dugout, the anguish that’s been a constant since portions of his homeland were turned into rubble last week pouring out of him.
鈥淓verything that鈥檚 going on in Venezuela, it鈥檚 not easy to hide,鈥� Contreras told reporters after the game. “It鈥檚 not easy just to show up and play with everything that is going on in my country.鈥�
The urge to do something, anything, to help is real. Contreras looked toward the Boston dugout and shouted 鈥淰enezuela鈥� before making the trip around the bases following a three-run shot that marked his 18th homer of the season.
鈥淚 feel like I could be there helping people and I can鈥檛 do that,鈥� Contreras said. 鈥淎nd the homer just represents something that I pray to God for it to happen, because that鈥檚 the only thing I can do for Venezuela right now physically. And that鈥檚 why I was emotional.鈥�
The 34-year-old Contreras was born in Puerto Cabello, about three hours west of the capital of Caracas. He described frustration over reports of volunteers and aid packages having trouble getting through to those who need it.
鈥淚t sucks seeing so many bad things going on in Venezuela,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think we deserve all of this. We鈥檙e a good people. Good country. We are good people.鈥�
Contreras’ night on the field ended a bit early. First base umpire Nic Lentz ejected him in the second inning after Lentz ruled Contreras failed to check his swing on a Miles Mikolas pitch that ended up being a strikeout.
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