Central STL News

ST. LOUIS -- The benches cleared briefly at the end of Thursday's game between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals after a celebratory moment by Cubs reliever Daniel Palencia. Following his game-ending strikeout of Nolan Gorman, Palencia pounded his chest and shouted, which caught the attention of Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras.

Contreras, who was on first base, reacted to Palencia's celebration but did not escalate the situation further as tensions cooled quickly following Chicago’s 3-0 victory over St. Louis.

“I was just excited,” Palencia explained regarding his actions.

Earlier in the ninth inning, Palencia threw a fastball clocked at 100.5 mph that hit Contreras’ hand. Despite this incident, Palencia maintained that it was unintentional.

“It’s just part of the game,” he stated. “I don’t want to hit that guy.”

Contreras had previously suffered multiple injuries last season, including fractures from being struck by pitches and swings while catching for St. Louis.

“Last year, I got two broken bones,” Contreras said after the game. “And I know he's not trying to hit anybody there... My reaction was bad. I take that back.”

Cubs veteran Ian Happ commented on Contreras' emotional response: “That’s Willson, you know? He loves his teammates... Any time you get hit up and in... it’s scary.”

Contreras clarified he did not intend to start an altercation with his former team or with Palencia.

“I'm not trying to fight them,” he remarked. “He did his job... But once again, that’s just the heat of the game.”

Palencia managed to secure three consecutive strikeouts after allowing two runners on base in the ninth inning, finishing with a 1.86 ERA for the season and leading his team with eight saves.

“That’s being a closer," said Cubs manager Craig Counsell about Palencia's performance under pressure during crucial moments in games.