Overview
- Television broadcast audio captured Cavalli shouting "sit down, boy" after striking out Willson Contreras during Tuesday night's game, which led to Contreras confronting Cavalli and both teams leaving their dugouts.
- The confrontation at Fenway included Contreras throwing his helmet and multiple ejections while Cavalli remained in the game and completed a 13-strikeout, seven-inning start in Washington's 8-1 win.
- Cavalli apologized the next day, said he had no ill intent, expressed regret for how the remark was perceived, and pledged to stop using the word in the future.
- Nationals president Paul Toboni said the team will not discipline Cavalli internally because he believes intent was not racist, and Willson Contreras declined to label the comment racist while saying he would let MLB handle any punishment.
- The word "boy" carries a painful racial history in the United States which explains the strong reaction and public scrutiny and leaves broader questions about player language, role-modeling, and possible league discipline to be decided by MLB.