MILWAUKEE — William Contreras yelled at the top of his lungs, but nobody could hear him. It was impossible to distinguish his joyous scream from the ear-splitting din shaking the very foundations of American Family Field.
But with a slight yet noticeable shake of his head, Contreras expressed himself loud and clear: Don’t run on me.
“I'm a player that likes to play with a lot of passion and a lot of energy, and I'm going to do that,” Contreras boasted after his Brewers’ 3-2 win in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday in Milwaukee.
Milwaukee’s bowling ball of a backstop, a man shaped like a Bowser-Wario full-speed collision, had just thrown out Tampa Bay’s Jonathan Aranda to end the top of the sixth inning. It was Contreras’ second caught stealing in as many innings. A frame earlier, he’d tallied the final out with a frozen rope of a toss to nail Victor Mesa Jr. at third base and keep the Brewers’ 2-1 lead intact. Add a pair of successful ABS challenges and two knocks, including a first-inning RBI single, and there’s no doubt that Game 1 belonged to the fierce, stocky, in-command catcher from Puerto Cabello, Venezuela.
“He's incredible,” Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy gushed postgame. “We wouldn't be in the position we're in without Contreras.”
The Milwaukee catcher’s ability to mute Tampa Bay’s running game was an enormous development in Game 1. The Rays’ electric baserunning helped propel them through an admittedly underwhelming American League side of this postseason bracket. An AL pennant will hang from Tropicana Field, in part, because the Rays started October a perfect 11-for-11 on stolen bases.
But Contreras and these Brewers are a different beast. Milwaukee is crisper on the margins, sharper on defense, harder to take advantage of, more detail-oriented and better at executing than either of the clubs Tampa dispatched on its way to this World Series. The Brewers play with an unrelenting intensity, one perfectly exemplified by Contreras, who is equal parts emotional and laser-focused.
“I think just his competitiveness and the way that he's willing to bring it every day. He wants to compete every single day, every moment,” Brewers captain Christian Yelich said of Contreras during the NLCS. “He’s the fire of our team.”
Despite Milwaukee’s aggressive style of play, not many of their key position players come across on the field as extroverted showmen. Yelich is a metronome; so is second baseman Brice Turang. NLCS MVP Jake Bauers is busy being stuck in flowstate. Young star Jackson Chourio will raise his energy to match a moment, but he’s far from the most expressive character.
Contreras, meanwhile, has been known to bash himself on the helmet with his own bat after missing pitches he believes he should have clobbered. After a big hit, he’ll flip his bat or emphatically pound his chest or flex and yell. He did the latter two after his timely RBI poke in the first inning Friday.
As Contreras strode to the plate for the first World Series plate appearance of his career, he did so beneath a crowd roaring over Milwaukee’s first Fall Classic run in 44 years. Yelich, batting third for the first time in months, had cranked a ball into the right-center gap for an RBI triple. He stood on third with a man down as a valuable early insurance run.
Everybody in the ballpark, including the Rays, must have known that Contreras would be hacking. This season, only five qualified hitters swung more often at 0-0 pitches in the strike zone with runners in scoring position. Anything in the strike zone from Tampa Bay starter Nick Martinez, and Contreras’ bat was coming off his shoulder.
That’s exactly what happened.
Martinez’s cutter backed up and caught too much dish. Contreras uncoiled and ripped one 108.4 mph right at shortstop Taylor Walls, but it was too hot to handle, and the ball ricocheted off Walls’ mitt and into the outfield.
“God was able to gift me that one today, a complete game on both sides,” Contreras said afterward through team interpreter Daniel de Mondesert.
Contreras was also nails with his ABS challenges. He head-tapped twice in Game 1, earning the overturn each time. With likely NL Cy Young Jacob Misiorowski less than his best, Contreras stole a second strike in the third inning, leading to a strikeout. With a runner on in the sixth, he avoided a 2-0 count with another challenge.
“In regards to the ABS, going through a good moment right now, and I think the ABS is kind of similar to hitting in a season,” he explained via de Mondesert. “You might go through a slump. Right now, I think I'm going through a good moment with it, and I've got to take advantage of that.”
The Brewers certainly took advantage of Contreras’ magnificent performance to snag an early series lead. It was yet another outstanding showing for a player once discarded by the Atlanta Braves in a three-team trade because they were skeptical he’d ever develop the defensive skills to handle a staff. Now Contreras is the backstop for baseball’s best run-prevention unit and tied for the lead in hits this postseason.
His 1.184 OPS is tops among players who reached the championship series. He has simply been the best, most productive hitter on the National League champion. Defensively, too, he has been a difference-maker. Murphy, though, says it's even more than that.
“The side that you can't measure, I don't know what his numbers are, but he does so much for the team,” he said.
Thanks to Contreras, the Brewers are here and now, three wins away from winning it all.