<p>BOSTON — Washington Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli apologized Wednesday for shouting "sit down, boy" at Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras while instigating a <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/mlb/2026/06/30/red-sox-willson-contreras-nats-cade-cavalli-spark-benches-clearing-brawl" >benches’ clearing scrum</a> a night earlier.</p><p>"I'm extremely torn up about the way that things were perceived," Cavalli said. "Obviously, there was no ill intention behind that."</p><p>Cavalli shouted at Contreras after striking him out looking with a full-count pitch in the fourth inning of the Nationals' 8-1 victory over the Red Sox.</p><p>The term "boy" has a racist history in the U.S. Contreras, who is Venezuelan, demurred when asked after the game if he felt there was a racial component to Cavalli's word choice.</p><p>"My teammates know me, my family knows me, this organization knows me," Cavalli said.