Brewers versus Cubs turned into the Willson Contreras show on Tuesday night.
The Cubs catcher is at the center of controversy in the wake of his showboating after a game-winning 2-run homer and the post-game comments that ensued.
Contreras seemed to imply that there was intent behind the Cubs’ decision to throw a ball behind Brewers ace Brandon Woodruff.
Brewers play-by-play man Jeff Levering thinks the whole situation just spiraled out of control.
“I don’t know why, and even Contreras mentioned this afterward, why you’re even throwing behind the pitcher, Brandon Woodruff,” Levering told Wisconsin’s Morning News on 620 WTMJ. “Willson Contreras crowds the plate. Brandon Woodruff’s not trying to hit him in the hand, not by any stretch. It’s an accident, things happen. Maybe take a half a step off of the plate, and you won’t get hit as much. Or maybe don’t dive into the plate, and you won’t get hit as much.”
The bat flip and shushing gesture to the crowd after Contreras’ go-ahead home run was even more off-putting.
“I’m all for flipping bats and all that stuff, but maybe not make a huge show out of it,” Levering continued. “Maybe not make it a Broadway production, but an off-Broadway production.”
The Brewers and Cubs play the rubber match of their series on Wednesday, and will meet many more times throughout the season.
This could be just the beginning.