ST. LOUIS -- Even though he was a highly touted prospect years ago while coming up through the Cubs' system and a World Series winner as an MLB rookie, Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras never thought he’d have the kind of staying power that would allow him to play 1,000 big league games.
In his defense, Contreras thought that largely because he burns so hot with his emotions and any sort of failure -- either personally and with his team -- bother him greatly and are almost seen as personal affronts to his pride. Little did Contreras know early on in his career, but those attributes -- the white-hot intensity and the refusal to give in regardless of the circumstance -- would prove to be the forces that continue to drive him and garner respect from teammates.
“I love the intensity that he brings and he’s as much of a bulldog out there as anyone I’ve ever played with,” said Miles Mikolas after Contreras delivered a walk-off single in the 10th inning of the Cardinals’ 6-5 win over the Royals in Game 1 of a doubleheader Thursday at Busch Stadium in the catcher-turned first baseman’s 1,000th career game.
“His desire to win and the intensity he brings, it’s a good example to set for the young guys because they see how hard he works, how much he cares and how intense every at-bat is, whether we’re up by 10 or down by 10. He’s never giving anything away. … Even 1,000 games later, still having that fire in his eyes is impressive for sure.”
A player known to seek out even the most innocent sleights to provide extra motivation, Contreras looked on as the Royals intentionally walked Brendan Donovan in the 10th to get to him. From there, Contreras stayed on a 2-1 slider and looped it into left field to score Lars Nootbaar from second for his third career walk-off hit -- and his first since joining the Cardinals in 2023. Two days after notching the 500th RBI of his career, Contreras started on the next 500 by winning Game 1 of the doubleheader against Kansas City.
“The game dictated that they were going to walk Donovan, but that fired me up,” admitted Contreras, who was 2-for-4 with a double that started a seventh-inning rally. “It’s not an insult because it’s part of the game, but [it’s like the Royals saying], ‘We want you to roll over for a double play.’ But I was like, ‘No, not me!’ I was looking for a pitch down the middle and I got one to help the team win.”
In the nightcap, Contreras contributed another two hits and three RBIs, but the Cards couldn’t overcome a second straight rocky start by Matthew Liberatore in a 7-5 loss in Game 2. Liberatore, whose fastball velocity dropped from 96.3 mph in the first inning to 89.5 mph in the fourth inning, surrendered seven earned runs before leaving after four innings with what the Cardinals called “fatigue-related issues.” Liberatore instead blamed his mechanics.
“Just out of sync, working around everything and different body parts going in different directions and not toward the plate,” said Liberatore, who has surrendered 11 earned runs over his past two starts after allowing just 10 in the eight previous starts combined. “I actually felt pretty good in the first inning, the stuff was pretty lively and I was pretty synced-up. Then, I got out of sync and I failed to make the adjustment the rest of the outing.”
Already secure with his place in the game and content to be a leader on a Cardinals club that has been one of MLB’s surprise squads so far, Contreras said he had no clue that he was closing in on 500 RBIs and the 1,000 games played. Now 33 years old, Contreras became the 65th active MLB player to hit the 1,000-game plateau.
“With the 1,000 games in the big leagues, I’m really proud about everything I’ve done throughout my career,” Contreras said “I never thought that I was going to play this long, but it’s a dream come true.”
A catcher for much of his first nine MLB seasons, Contreras has successfully made the transition to first base this season -- something the Cards pushed for to keep his bat in the lineup for more games. Remarkably, Contreras came into Thursday tied for second in MLB among first basemen in Outs Above Average with four. Atlanta’s Matt Olson (six) is first, while former Cardinals star Paul Goldschmidt (zero) is tied for 16th with the Yankees.
Contreras was plenty happy to be at first on Thursday after seeing Cards catchers Pedro Pagés and Yohel Pozo take foul tips off the groin and Pagés was also plunked in the helmet by a Vinnie Pasquantino backswing.
“The goal for this year was to stay healthy and play every day at first base,” said Contreras, who has played in 57 of the Cardinals’ 61 games and is on pace to set a career high in appearances. “But at first base, my body also hurts and is sore because it’s not an easy position. … It takes a lot to be at first base every day. I’m here to play every day and help this team any way I can.”