Joseph Contreras completed his social studies homework before facing Aaron Judge with the bases loaded Friday night. Blessed Trinity Catholic High School held classes that day in Roswell, Ga., but Contreras was not there. He had somewhere more important to be.
When he emerged from the bullpen in the second inning of Team Brazil’s game against Team USA at Daikin Park, Contreras became the youngest player to appear in a World Baseball Classic game since 2013. He is 17 years old, the son of former Chicago White Sox All-Star Jose Contreras, and pitching on the same field where his father helped win the 2005 World Series.
How Contreras got to the Judge matchup
Brazil entered the inning trailing after Judge launched a two-run home run in the first off starting pitcher Bo Takahashi. Contreras got the first batter he faced, Byron Buxton, on a flyout to right field. Then things got complicated. He gave up a ringing double to Brice Turang, then issued back-to-back walks to Bobby Witt Jr. and Bryce Harper, loading the bases with one out.
Standing in was Judge, the two-time reigning American League MVP.
Contreras did not flinch. He elevated a 96.6 mph fastball for a strike, missed with a changeup, then came back with a sinker inside that Judge topped weakly to third base. The 5-4-3 double play ended the inning. Contreras sprinted off the mound screaming, and the scouts in the stands scribbled harder.
He was asked to return for the third inning, where his command caught up with him. He allowed a single to Kyle Schwarber, gave up a run on a wild pitch, and walked Cal Raleigh before Brazil manager Yuichi Matsumoto pulled him. He finished having thrown just 13 strikes on 33 total pitches, a reminder of how young he still is, even on a night when that was easy to forget.
The bloodline behind the moxie
Jose Contreras, considered one of the greatest Cuban players ever to play in MLB, was in the stands Friday watching his son pitch on the same mound where he celebrated a championship more than two decades ago. The elder Contreras made the American League All-Star team in 2006 and threw 49 postseason innings across an 11-year career. He has been his son’s most consistent advisor throughout this run.
Joseph learned his father’s signature forkball at age 10. He has since developed what he calls a vulcan forkball, a variation he is still refining. Before Friday’s game, his father’s message was simple: the game does not change, execute the pitches, take deep breaths, and do not let the moment speed up.
Joseph, whose mother is Brazilian, is committed to Vanderbilt and is ranked No. 47 on MLB Pipeline’s list of top 2026 draft prospects. Baseball America has him at No. 35. Whether he ever sets foot on campus in Nashville is now an open question. His performance Friday gave scouts metrics they could not get from a high school game, and his draft stock moved accordingly.
A night his teammates will hear about for a long time
Brazil’s roster carried more major league pedigree than big league experience. Dante Bichette Jr., 33, served as the team’s designated hitter and watched Contreras up close throughout the night. He described the teenager as someone with a rare kind of confidence, the sort that is hard to manufacture and harder still to maintain. Lucas Ramirez, the son of Manny Ramirez, hit two home runs in the same game, outpacing Team USA’s entire home run output on the night.
Judge, speaking after the game, said he was not doing anything close to what Contreras did when he was 17. He noted the poise, the velocity, and the composure of getting out of a loaded jam against one of the best lineups in the world.
The night ended with Team USA winning 15-5. But the story walking out of Daikin Park belonged to a teenager who still had homework waiting at home.
