Chicago Cubs: Willson Contreras Crushes Three-Run Home Run to Tie Game vs Cardinals (Video)
Watch Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras crush a game-tying three-run ninth inning home run against the St. Louis Cardinals.
For eight innings, the Chicago Cubs could not get anything going. They had a couple of chances but could not scrape a run across the board.
Trailing 3-0 to the St. Louis Cardinals on Opening Night, the Cubs entered the ninth inning against Cardinals closer Seung-Hwan Oh with little hope. Oh hit Ben Zobrist to lead off the inning. Addison Russell struck out, but Jason Heyward was able to reach on an infield single where Cardinals first baseman Matt Carpenter misplayed the ball. Then, Willson Contreras stepped up to the plate.
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That ball was absolutely crushed. With one swing of the bat, Contreras was able to tie the game for the Chicago Cubs. Contreras is an incredibly talented catcher who has a ton of upside at the plate. He has a ton of raw power that was put on full display here.
Will this be the start of a huge breakout season for Contreras? That obviously remains to be seen, but it is certainly a good sign.
With David Ross gone and Miguel Montero clearly not the player who he used to be, the Cubs are relying on Contreras to take a bulk of the starts behind the plate. he is a raw talent, but Contreras has the ability to be an absolute star player for the Cubs.
His offensive ability is obvious, but do not discount Contreras’ defensive ability behind the plate. He has ridiculous natural quickness and athleticism behind the plate and possesses a rocket for a right arm.
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The home run did not end up mattering as the Cardinals walked it off in the bottom of the ninth inning off of Mike Montgomery. That being said, hitting a home run in a huge spot like that is a great sign for Contreras.
The Chicago Cubs have a ton of talented position players on their roster. If Willson Contreras can continue to hit bombs like this in big spots, he will be among the most valuable players on this team.