Deborah Van Berkel

William Contreras signed his first professional contract for 10,000 dollars. His mother was a janitor at a school. Today he tied Game 2 of the National League Championship Series with a home run, and then drove in the run that put Milwaukee ahead. Here is the whole thing. He grew up in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, the youngest of three boys. Willmer, Willson, William. Their mother Olga cleaned a school. Their father ran a small business with his brother. Both of them worked long hours. That is when the boys played. They did not have baseballs. They made them out of paper and tape. They were supposed to be studying. They sneaked out to play instead. Here is what he calls those afternoons now. "Beautiful moments." He was a shortstop and a second baseman back then. In February of 2015 the Atlanta Braves signed him for 10,000 dollars and put him behind the plate instead. Willson was already in the Chicago Cubs organization by then, still down in the minor leagues. Here is what he says about the position they handed him. "I love being the only person who has everybody in front of you." Willson reached the big leagues first. William got there in 2020. Their parents spent years trying to get out of Venezuela. They finally landed in Orlando in 2019. Here is what William said about that. "It's easier knowing they're safe now." Then in December of 2022 Atlanta went and got a different catcher, and Contreras was the piece that went the other way. To the Milwaukee Brewers. He did not want to go. "Trade me back." That is what he told his agent, and he is the one who tells that story on himself. "Now if I think about that trade, I got lucky." In Milwaukee he turned into a three time All-Star and won two Silver Sluggers. He also broke the middle finger on his left hand, and it was months before the Brewers said anything about it. He played 150 games last season with that finger and never went on the injured list once. His manager Pat Murphy got asked about resting him. "I don't think he'll allow that, knowing him." Then in March, William and Willson both played for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic. Venezuela beat the United States 3 to 2 and won the first title the country has ever had. The two brothers walked onto the podium together. That is the thing they used to talk about as kids, with the paper balls. And today, against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the youngest one went 3 for 4 with a walk and drove in three of Milwaukee's seven runs. Brewers 7, Dodgers 4. Milwaukee leads the series 2 games to 0. The Brewers have never won a World Series. A janitor's son from Puerto Cabello is two wins from taking them to one.