St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras apologized to the Chicago Cubs for his reaction to a ninth-inning hit-by-pitch that was followed by a bench-clearing situation after the final out of Thursday's 3-0 loss.

ST. LOUIS – Home plate umpire Quinn Wolcott punched the air to call the final out of the game, and Cubs closer Daniel Palencia balled his hands into fists and shouted in celebration. He bounded his chest and spun around, facing up the first base line as he shouted again.

Cubs reliever Daniel Palencia pounded his chest and let out a few celebratory shouts following a game-ending strikeout of Nolan Gorman on Thursday afternoon. Palencia then spun on the mound and looked toward first base,