Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras watches baseball games from a different angle than most. He stands in the batter's box on offense, and crouches inches behind it on defense. Seeing his team − and opponents − through this lens gives him a unique perspective.
And, unique takeaways.
Like, his thoughts on the 2025 NLCS, when the Los Angeles Dodgers swept the Brewers en route to their second-straight World Series title. It looked like an easy 4-0 series. Like the Crew just couldn't compete, and the Dodgers handily took care of business before facing a much tougher test against the Toronto Blue Jays. Like one team had superstars and the other didn't.
Contreras has a different opinion than most of the rest of the world. He thinks the Dodgers got lucky. Not to be champions, but to sweep the Brewers in that fashion.
"Between their team and our team, 4–0, that wasn’t the gap," he wrote in his latest Players Tribune article, which published Oct. 22. "But they made the plays, got the breaks, and by the end of the series we were in our own heads."
A lot of people saw something different. That the sweep was more proof the Brewers small ball style of play and meager payroll won't lead to wins in October.
"But anyone who thinks that way....... to be honest, they don’t know baseball," Contreras wrote.
Milwaukee Brewers had to keep falling short 'to get to THIS moment'
The Brewers have been a dominant force in the regular season for all of Contreras' four years. Milwaukee won 92 games in 2023, his first season. It's improved every year since: to 93, then 97 in 2025 and finally a franchise record 103 victories in 2026.
But, until this year, Milwaukee had never been able to get over the hump. Then, on Oct. 16, the Brewers got revenge, sweeping the Dodgers and going back to the World Series for the first time since 1982.
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Contreras doesn't see that as a mere coincidence.
"So it’s almost like, to get to THIS moment, we had to have those other moments," he wrote.
Like, when the Arizona Diamondbacks swept the Brewers in the 2023 Wild Card. When Pete Alonso broke Milwaukeeans' hearts with his ninth inning home run off Devin Williams to win Game 3 of the Wild Card in 2024. When Los Angeles made quick work last year.
"Had to take the long way, I swear," Contreras wrote.
Milwaukee Brewers 'fear nothing, because we’ve experienced everything'
Baseball is a journey. Games, seasons, careers. They're all journeys.
Contreras went from being a kid in Venezuela with big dreams, to backup catcher trying to stay in the league, to World Series winner and All-Star, to trade piece. That's how he landed in Milwaukee, a place he didn't want to come to but has fallen in love with.
The other Brewers have their winding stories.
Back-to-back National League Manager of the Year Pat Murphy didn't get a full-time managing job until he was 64 years old. Christian Yelich went from winning MVP at 26 to battling seemingly perpetual injuries. Jake Bauers, 2026 NLCS MVP, was ready to retire, coming back only because he needed health insurance for his expected child.
Contreras references all of them in his letter.
"We fear nothing, because we’ve experienced everything," he wrote.
These experiences gave Contreras perspective. He knows the Brewers sweep over the Dodgers last week − which he did admit in the letter was "probably lucky" − has no bearing on the challenge ahead.
"I know how quickly things can change in this game," he wrote.
But, he knows the people in the Brewers clubhouse. Their talent.
"We’re a great team. We’ve been a great team," he wrote.
They've just never gotten a chance to prove it on the biggest stage. Well, now they can.
"Every year, we’ve run into a team where it’s like, Those guys……. they found the magic," he wrote. "Now it’s THE WORLD SERIES though — so I guess it’s only two options left???
"Either we’re about to run into them, or we are them."
Jack Albright covers West Allis, Greenfield, Greendale, Hales Corners and West Milwaukee. He can be reached at JAlbright@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: William Contreras calls Dodgers 'lucky' for sweeping Brewers in 2025 NLCS
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