Cardinals’ Contreras Chews on Bat Tape During At-Bat

Willson Contreras took a bite out of baseball’s pitch clock rules Saturday—literally.

The St. Louis Cardinals catcher found himself in a sticky situation during the team’s 5-1 win against the Minnesota Twins when his bat grip tape started coming loose during an at-bat.

With the count full and the pitch clock ticking down to just 11 seconds, Contreras made a split-second decision that left fans and announcers stunned.

He ripped the loose tape off with his teeth—and then ate it.

Why would he do such a thing? Contreras had already used his only timeout earlier in the at-bat, and with the clock running down, he didn’t want to risk an automatic strike.

“With this clock, you have to do things that are out of your control,” Contreras explained after the game. “I’d rather strike out swinging rather than by the clock.”

The unusual snack didn’t help his at-bat, though. He struck out on the very next pitch anyway.

“That was a bad taste, really bad,” Contreras admitted. “It was disgusting.”

The veteran catcher confirmed this was the first time he’d ever been forced to eat batting tape during a game—a sign of how MLB’s pitch clock continues to create unexpected challenges for players.

Despite a strong showing in spring training, Contreras is still looking for his first hit of the regular season. He went 0 for 5 with three strikeouts in Saturday’s game and remains hitless through the Cardinals’ first three contests.

But at least he’s giving fans something to chew on while he works through his early-season slump.