Cardinals slugger Willson Contreras launches tirade and throws bat at umpire... but hits coach instead

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras thought he was victim of quick hook from home plate umpire Derek Thomas on Monday, so rather than make a peaceful exit, he instead launched into a tirade.

And when Contreras was finally dragged to the dugout by coaches, the former All-Star and World Series champion fired a bat back onto the field, inadvertently hitting one in the process.

'I apologized to him,' Contreras told reporters afterwards, referring to Cardinals bench coach Daniel Descalso. 'I wasn't looking back. I just threw my bat back.'

Contreras appeared to be tossing his bat in the direction of first base umpire Stu Scheurwater.

In any case, he his tirade wasn't finished and Contreras tossed a bucket of Hi-Chew onto the field.

Manager Oliver Marmol also was tossed during the seventh-inning fracas, which began over Thomas' strike zone in the Cardinals' 7-6 win over the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates.

Afterwards, Contreras insisted he did not understand why he was ejected, claiming he never crossed a line with Thomas.

'I didn't argue any pitch,' said Contreras, who agreed he struck out on a pitch that was inside the strike zone. 'All I said was, 'Call the pitches on both sides because you're missing for us.' Then I turned around. The next thing I hear, he threw me out. There's no reason for it. Apparently, he heard something [he thought] I said. I did not say that.'

Marmol, for one, supports Contreras.

'We'll have to dive into it to make sure what Willson's saying is what happened,' Marmol said. 'But I believe him.'

Contreras and Marmol were tossed for 'saying vulgar stuff' to Thomas, according to crew chief Jordan Baker, who also claimed Contreras made contact with the umpire.

'We're going to review the tape and what the office sends to us, and we'll send it in, send the report in to Major League Baseball and let them handle that part of it,' Baker said.

Contreras went 1 for 4 with two RBIs in the game, which ended in the ninth on a solo home run by Alec Burleson.

Best known for his days with the rival Chicago Cubs, the native of Venezuela is the elder brother of Milwaukee Brewers catcher and division rival William Contreras.

Willson is a three-time All-Star who won a World Series with Chicago in 2016. Since then, he's moved from catcher to first base, all while remaining one of the more consistent hitters in the National League.