ST. LOUIS — The Red Sox lived the entire Willson Contreras experience this weekend in St. Louis — and reaped the benefits in a series win.
Boston’s weekend with Contreras included a warm homecoming, plenty of production, the public unveiling of his Mario-themed nickname, mind games at the plate and perhaps most importantly for the Red Sox, a call to action that bore fruit. Contreras, who went 6-for-13 with a homer and six RBIs against his former team, said after Saturday’s win that he implored his (mostly younger) teammates to display more energy than they had through the first two weeks of the season. Over the final two days of the series, it worked.
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“Sometimes, in this game, you’ve got to create your own energy,” said shortstop Trevor Story. “It’s easy to do when you’re banging and everyone’s hitting line drives everywhere and you’re scoring a lot of runs. It’s easy to do that. But obviously, that hasn’t been the case for us thus far this season.”
The Red Sox arrived in St. Louis with a 4-8 record despite having beaten the Brewers two days in a row. During the first homestand of 2026, Contreras was a spark plug, homering twice while feuding with Milwaukee publicly. The veteran was the center of attention Friday when he got a nice ovation from the home crowd, but didn’t contribute in a sleepy loss. When he arrived at Busch Stadium on Saturday, Contreras — with nearly all of his teammates decked out in T-shirts depicting the inspiration for his nickname, Bowser — decided to speak up.
“We talked today about having more energy than before and we did,” Contreras said after Saturday’s game. “I think that’s what happens when you try to put your focus on having good energy and not trying to seek results. It can take a lot of pressure off your shoulders not sitting on the bench thinking about getting a base hit, getting a double or getting a homer. Just bring the energy and whatever happens is going to happen.”
A veteran of 10 big league seasons with the Cubs and Cardinals, Contreras knows which clubhouse vibes work — and which don’t. He felt the Red Sox were sleep-walking a bit in the first two weeks of the season and spoke up.
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“He brings a presence,” said Story. “He brings an intensity and some leadership, too. We love that, and that’s what we need. We do have a younger group. He has done a great job of blending and making it all work. He has been a great addition and he’s playing well.”
Contreras’ two-run double off Kyle Leahy in Saturday’s game gave the Red Sox an early lead, but a five-run ninth inning catalyzed the offense. For the first time in days, the line kept moving. The positive momentum carried over into Sunday’s matinee, when Contreras stepped to the plate with two outs and Caleb Durbin on first base after a hit-by-pitch. The first baseman took launch against former teammate Andre Pallante and gave his team an instant 2-0 lead.
Contreras cited his familiarity with Pallante as a key to his big swing on a 3-2 sinker.
“The 3-1 count, I wasn’t swinging. I was expecting a hit-by-pitch or something like that because I was on top of the plate,” Contreras said. “He executed and I was like, ‘There’s no way he throws an off-speed right here.’ I was looking for that sinker, especially middle-down. I was playing a little bit of mind games right there.
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“I hit that one good enough to go out to center field my first at-bat. It wasn’t as high, so I’m glad it went out to help (Brayan) Bello start the game on the right foot.”
Bello, who badly needed a good start, was able to breathe.
“Everyone gets a lot of energy when we start like that,” the starter said (through interpreter Daveson Perez). “A 2-0, 3-0 lead helps everybody to relax a little bit more.”
Contreras added three more hits and another RBI as the Red Sox cruised to victory for the first time this season by a 9-3 score. Winning can electrify a clubhouse. So can a reminder of what’s at stake, even two weeks into a six-month season.
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“We’re bringing the energy up, overall, in the dugout,” Story said. “In this clubhouse, it definitely resonated.”
On a team with Roman Anthony as its budding star, Story as a respected veteran, Wilyer Abreu as a breakout candidate and Jarren Duran with game-changing ability, it’s Contreras who has been the straw that stirs the drink for the Red Sox so far. His impact has stretched far beyond an impressive box score that includes a .302 average, three homers, 11 RBIs and a .957 OPS so far.
“There’s a reason we got him, right? We needed a right-handed bat and we got more than that,” said manager Alex Cora. “We got a guy who’s playing great defense at first base. He controls the strike zone. He’s becoming a leader in the clubhouse. It’s fun to have him around.”
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