Sometimes brothers hug. Sometimes brothers argue. That’s just the nature of the thing.
So for a couple guys who’ve been together for as long as Anthony Rizzo and Willson Contreras, it’s pretty natural that, from time to time, they might get into a squabble. That includes, rarely, during a game, and the cameras might catch it. Thus, late in the game last night, Rizzo and Contreras got into it.
You can see the dugout beefing here, including David Ross walking Rizzo down into the clubhouse (presumably to diffuse, but also to get it out of sight):
David Ross there gave it the general explanation, but it’s not exactly clear what precipitated the argument or what it was about. Don’t get me wrong, as a fan, I want to know because it’s probably interesting, but I also reckon it’s probably best not to get into specifics. There’s not really a need from the Cubs’ perspective, and I respect that.
After the game, here’s how Anthony Rizzo put it, noting that the two had already cleared the air (Cubs.com):
“It’s just competition and what’s at stake and everything,” Rizzo said. “The beauty of this team is we know each other and have played with each other for so long that we can have those brotherly love conversations ….
“It ends there. We just move on,” Rizzo said. “With our relationships here, it’s just so easy to talk to each other like we’re brothers.”
Rizzo also took the moment to praise Contreras, who is well-known for playing with a surplus of emotion.
“I love Willson,” said the first baseman. “I think the way he plays for this team, for our city – with the passion he plays with, you can’t match it in this league.”
No reason to think there’s serious drama here. Just a couple a guys who are very passionate about what they do, late in a loss for a second consecutive night, probably disagreeing about how to handle some specific situation. Unless something else pops up, it’s a “moving on” deal.
I will presume they weren’t arguing about rodents in the clubhouse, though.