COORS FIELD, Denver â When Willson Contreras stepped up to the plate in the middle of an inning, no one expected the stadium to fall silent.
The swing sent the ball soaring through the air â straight down the center field, 443 feet â and disappearing behind the bleachers as the fans roared. It wasnât just a home run. It was a star-studded âdestroyer,â and it came from a man who had been doubted, criticized ⊠but who had always responded with action.
â443 feet⊠Willson Contreras DESTROYED this baseball!!â
All you need to know about the situation is the look on the opposing playerâs faceâheads down, frozen, staring at the ball as if theyâd just witnessed a slash across the sky.
According to MLB, the home run was Contrerasâ 12th solo homer of the seasonâand one of his longest since joining the Cardinals.
Having been questioned since leaving the Chicago Cubsâthe team with whom he won the 2016 World SeriesâContreras has worked tirelessly to prove his worth in St. Louis. And in that moment, he didnât just say itâhe said it with 443 feet.
The Cardinals were outplayed, and Contrerasâs home run was the key to the win.
With his form on the rise and his fighting spirit on fire, Willson Contreras has shown that he is not only a good catcher â but also the soul of the Cardinals offense in the fierce period of the season.
âI donât need to say much. I just need that hit to answer everything,â â a source in the locker room revealed Contrerasâs short post-game words.
A home run is not just a score. It is a statement, a response to all the doubters, the power of a man who chose to be silent in order to act.
And today â that ball has not dropped.