A brilliant start overshadowed by a war of words
Cade Cavalli authored one of the best pitching performances in Nationals history, but he also found himself at the center of a brawl in Boston
BOSTON – At the conclusion of an emotionally charged ballgame, it was Miles Mikolas of all people who best summed up Cade Cavalli’s evening.
“Incredible,” the veteran right-hander said of his Nationals rotation mate. “I really hope that this little kerfuffle, skirmish, donnybrook, whatever they’re calling it … I hope that doesn’t take away at all from what he did on the mound today. He had an incredible game. That’s as good as he’s probably ever looked … and I think that’s the real story.”
The best start of Cavalli’s career – seven innings of one-hit, zero-walk, 13-strikeout ball – should be the only story of the Nats’ 8-1 win over the Red Sox. But it’s not, because what happened in the bottom of the fourth between Cavalli and Willson Contreras was the kind of thing that will be remembered for a long time and didn’t paint either participant in an especially positive light.
Before we get to the bottom of the fourth, though, we have to mention what happened in the bottom of the first, because that set everything else in motion.
