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Bigger than baseball: Contreras brothers soak in ‘indescribable moment’ at Wrigley Field

2 years agoTony Andracki

As Willson Contreras strolled to the plate in the bottom of the 1st inning Saturday at Wrigley Field, it was the moment he had been waiting his whole life for.

He immediately embraced his brother, William, who was catching for the Braves.

The two have shared special moments before in their lives, including in Atlanta earlier in the season when the brothers met at home plate with the lineup card for their respective teams.

But Saturday was a dream come true — the first time the brothers have been in a Major League Baseball game for the first time together.

The entire Contreras family was in attendance at Wrigley for the special moment.

“We finally have a dream as a family come true,” Contreras said in an interview with Marquee Sports Network before the series began. “I once promised my parents and my brothers that I would do my best to move them to the USA when I got to the big leagues. I’m just really proud of what we’ve done together.”

[MORE: The Cubs had a hilarious gameplan against William Contreras]

William, 24, has played 84 games in the big leagues over the last few years. He was in the majors when the Cubs and Braves squared off in Atlanta in late April but didn’t appear in a game.

In their first-ever meeting on a big-league diamond, Willson singled in his 1st inning plate appearance and eventually came around to score as the relay throw to his brother was a second too late.

As William came up to the plate in the top of the 2nd inning, he also singled in his first plate appearance before eventually being forced out in a fielder’s choice.

But the moment was much bigger than baseball and the result on the diamond.

“It’s an incredible moment,” William said through a translator. “This is something that I have always dreamed of and to experience that is going to be amazing. It’s going to be like, ‘we really did it.’ A dream come true. It’s an indescribable moment not just for us, but for our family.”

Willson went years without seeing William play baseball, as the elder Contreras brother left Venezuela to pursue his career in the U.S. But you better believe big brother was in Atlanta last fall cheering on William in the World Series, even sporting a Braves Contreras jersey.

As kids, the brothers would come home from school every day and play baseball outside for hours before moving to another park nearby to continue the game.

All that hard work has paid off but Willson still has one more goal he wants to accomplish with his little bro.

“I try to pass my experience to this guy because I know that’s what the older brothers do,” Willson said. “I always try to do my best on the field and off the field to keep my brother on the right track. He knows that I’m really proud of him, ever since 2015 when he got signed.

“I wish in my career that I could retire playing with him on the same team. That would be a personal goal. To have my mom and dad and my whole family in the stands watching us and watching me retire with us together — that’s one of the next things that I’m looking forward to.”

Catch the entire interview with the Contreras brothers in the video above.

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