PHILADELPHIA — William Contreras put the Brewers ready to win Wednesday’s sport in opposition to the Phillies along with his bat — after which, he emphatically sealed the cope with his arm.
In the center of the most well liked stretch of his profession, Contreras placed on yet one more all-around present to guide Milwaukee to a 5-3 victory at Citizens Bank Park. The Brewers have gained 5 of their previous six video games to stay 2 ½ video games forward of the Reds within the National League Central.
Contreras snapped a 3-3 tie with a go-ahead two-out RBI double within the seventh, then added one other RBI double within the prime of the ninth. Still, it was the play he made within the backside half of the ninth that put an exclamation mark on his evening.
With runners on the corners and just one out, Contreras made an ideal throw to nab Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott — the potential tying run — as he tried to swipe second base.
So what did Contreras take pleasure in most?
“The defense,” Contreras mentioned with a smile. “That throw in the ninth, that was the best play in the game for me.”
It’s onerous to argue in any other case.
Stott was 16-for-17 on stolen base makes an attempt this season, and he hadn’t been caught since April 27. He had swiped 13 consecutive bases efficiently. And if that wasn’t sufficient, all of it got here with Alec Bohm on the plate, a participant who entered the evening hitting .351 (33-for-94) with runners in scoring place this season.
“It was a perfect throw,” Brewers supervisor Craig Counsell mentioned. “Really good tag, but he put the throw right where it had to be to get him.”
Bohm tipped the subsequent pitch into Contreras’ glove for strike three to finish the sport. The catcher turned to indicate the ump the ball, then set free a yell and pumped his arms in celebration on house plate earlier than trotting out to congratulate Devin Williams on the save.
“When you have days like that, you’re very grateful,” Contreras mentioned by means of a translator. “Being able to contribute both on the defensive side and the offensive side, that’s a very special day.”
But days like which have seemingly grow to be the norm for the 25-year-old catcher. Contreras’ three-hit evening on Wednesday marked his eighth multihit effort in 12 video games this month. It was his second three-hit sport in his previous 4, matching his whole from his first 72 video games.
In July, Contreras is hitting .412 (21-for-51) with seven extra-base hits and 9 RBIs in 12 video games. The 21 hits are by far his most in any 12-game stretch of his younger profession.
“He was all over the game tonight, for sure — offensively, defensively,” Counsell mentioned. “He made his impact felt in every part of the game. He’s been playing at a really high level for a while now.”
But once more, it’s the protection that Contreras takes essentially the most delight in — and for good cause.
Over the earlier two seasons with the Braves, Contreras racked up -11 Defensive Runs Saved. That ranked 56th out of 64 catchers with a minimum of 500 innings behind the plate.
Fast ahead to 2023 and Contreras entered Wednesday evening with 7 DRS — essentially the most by any catcher within the Majors.
“I’m definitely very happy with my defense this year. It’s a big change from last year to this year, so I’m happy with what I’ve done,” Contreras mentioned. “But we’ve still got over two months of the season left, so you still have to work and continue to find ways to get better.”
Contreras can also be tied for second in Statcast’s blocking metric and tied for fourth in framing.
“He’s just super athletic,” mentioned starter Colin Rea, who held the Phillies to 3 runs (two earned) over 5 innings. “He can literally do everything. All around, he’s just a great player.”
And the Brewers are assured he’s solely going to get higher.
“This is his second full year in the league — so that’s just something to remember, too,” Counsell mentioned. “This is a young player, this is a hard position to contribute from on both sides of the ball and this is a player that’s at a position that, traditionally, it takes a little while and it’s a tough position. He’s done a heck of a job and we’re lucky to have him.”
As for the show of emotion after the ultimate out, Counsell is hoping to see much more of that down the stretch.
“I mean, you’re the catcher and you throw out the tying run in the ninth inning,” Counsell mentioned, “you deserve it.”
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