'He’s the table-setter': Brewers’ William Contreras channels Ivan Rodriguez

Despite carrying an injury into the NLDS, Contreras promised he would play no matter what, and he has delivered exactly what the Brewers needed to stay competitive.

“I think going into this game, first inning, when they found out Pomeranz was gonna get the hill for them to start this game, he knew he needed to bridge him. Either bridge or big RBI, he was that guy. He had been struggling with the top of the zone fast ball, but he got one there. I think they were trying to go in the top of the zone on him, and he did not miss that, and it just felt like every time Contreras is in the middle of something, he’s doing his thing,” Alonso continued his praise of Contreras.

William Contreras and the Brewers back in the NLCS

“He’s hitting 300 in the postseason, but this is the stuff he does as well. This is a guy who has caught over 150 games. This guy has a broken finger, and he’s been playing every day. I just love everything this guy is doing. He’s very clutch. He loves to be in the middle of all the drama, and this is a guy that, for the whole remainder of the postseason, they’re gonna need a lot from him, and he is welcoming that party,” Alonso added.

The Brewers, making their seventh playoff appearance in eight seasons, captured their first postseason series win since sweeping the Rockies in the 2018 NLDS. Back then, Milwaukee pushed all the way to the brink of the World Series but fell at home to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a decisive Game 7 of the NLCS.

Now, Contreras and the Brewers face the defending World Series champion Dodgers in the NLCS, with LA having swept the Philadelphia Phillies in the other Division Series. Game 1 kicks off Monday in Milwaukee as the Brewers pursue their first pennant since 1982, when they were still part of the American League.