Willson Contreras Says He 'Prayed To God' For HR, Explains Weeping In Dugout

Willson Contreras Says He 'Prayed To God' For HR, Explains Weeping In Dugout originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

>Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras has been playing with a heavy heart.

>In the first inning of Monday night's game against the Washington Nationals, Contreras smashed a home run to give the Red Sox a 3-0 lead. Immediately following his home run trot, the 34-year-old Venezuelan broke down in tears, weeping in the arms of his teammates and coaches.

>The next inning, he was ejected.

>Contreras has been very vocal about what his home country of Venezuela is going through this past week. An earthquake struck the country, killing a confirmed total of more than 1,500 citizens, with more than 50,000 missing.

>He told reporters after the game that it is tough to play through the crisis.

>"It's not easy to hide. It's not easy just to show up and play," Contreras said. "It hurts when you see people trying to help, and they're being detained. It hurts when you see aid trying to get to La Guaira, and it's being detained. And it sucks seeing so many bad things going on in Venezuela.

>"I don't think we deserve all of this. We are a good people. We are a good country."

>He said the home run was something he prayed for.

>"I feel like I could be there helping people, but I can't be there," Contreras said. "The homer just represents something that I prayed to God to happen. Because that's the only thing that I can do for Venezuela right now, physically."

Willson Contreras with a powerful postgame scrum 🇻🇪💪

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— NESN (@NESN) June 30, 2026More MLB: Umpire Who Absurdly Ejected Willson Contreras Has Track Record