"Wow!" An 18-year-old high school student in Brazil is crazy! 157km → 157km → 157km, and even MVP Judge was caught by a double play [2026 WBC]

*This content was translated by AI.

High school student Joseph Contreras (18, Blessed Trinity Catholic High School) made a strong impression in his first game representing his mother's country, Brazil.

The Brazilian national team was completely defeated by the U.S. national team 5-15 in two Group B matches in the first round of the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) finals at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas on the 7th (Korea time).

It was an expected defeat. The difference was large even when comparing the starting lineup on the day. The U.S. starting lineup, led by Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees and Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies, is worth a whopping $1.468 billion (about 2.1761 trillion won). On the other hand, Lucas Ramirez, a U.S. national who plays for the High Single A team under the Los Angeles Angels, was the only player on the Brazilian national team.

However, Brazil surprisingly continued a tight race of 4-7 until the seventh inning. One of the top contributors is Contreras, a high school student who took the mound in the second inning. Contreras, who took the mound in the second inning after former KIA Tigers player Bok Takahashi, faced the U.S. bottom batting order.

The first batter was Byron Buxton, who was worth 100 million dollars. In response, Contreras threw a series of fast balls up to 97.4 miles per hour (about 156.8 kilometers) and caught them with a straight hit to center field. He was then shaken by Bryce Turang's double to left field. He immediately faced the top U.S. batting order and gave consecutive walks to Bobby Witt Jr. and Bryce Harper, causing a one-out full base crisis.

The next at-bat is Captain Aaron Judge (34, New York Yankees), who is a three-time American League MVP. With the U.S. already leading 2-1, if Judge's home run or timely hit hits, it was not impossible to play a cold game.

However, high school student Contreras bravely threw a 96.9 mph (about 155.9 km) fastball from the first pitch to draw a swing and miss. He threw a changeup and sinker back toward the body, and Judge touched the sinker on the third pitch and sent it toward third base, bending his head to a 5-4-3 double play. Contreras allowed a run in the third inning with a walk and a hit, recording two hits and three walks in the final first ⅓.

But it was enough to make his name known. Contreras' arrest recorded in Statcast on the same day was more than 97.4 miles per hour (about 156.8 kilometers). The peak is 97.8 mph (about 157.4 km).

The news of Contreras, a high school student who caught Judge, immediately spread through SNS. WBC said on its official SNS, "Anything can happen in baseball. Contreras, a 17-year-old high school senior, ended the inning by inducing a double play with the bases loaded against Judge.

Turns out he was a second-generation baseball player who was born with the baseball gene. According to Fox Sports, another media outlet, Contreras' father was Jose Contreras, who led the Chicago White Sox to the World Series in 2005.

His Cuban-born father Contreras was a major leaguer who made his big league debut with the Yankees in 2003 and was in full swing with the White Sox in 2004. In 2005, he became a leading player in the World Series with 15 wins, 7 losses and an ERA of 3.61 as a starting player with Mark Burley and Freddie Garcia.

In the postseason of that year, he also won the American League Division Series, Championship Series, and World Series. He was also named an All-Star in 2006. After playing until the age of 42, he retired from the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2013. His overall performance was 78 wins and 67 losses with a 4.57 ERA and 889 strikeouts in 1,173 innings in 299 games.

His father Contreras met his Brazilian wife in the White Sox and his son Contreras was born in May 2008. His son Contreras is also on the verge of entering Vanderbilt University, a prestigious baseball university in the U.S. He has already grown into a big prospect to the extent that big agent Scott Boras is in charge of him, and he has been listed as the youngest player in the tournament.

According to MLB.com , playing in the WBC was my father Contreras' wish. His father Contreras said at the time of his son's selection for the Brazilian national team, "There were two competitions I really wanted to play in. One was the WBC and the other was the Caribbean World Series, he said. "But I remember Joseph always saying 'Don't worry, Dad' when he was young."

Naturally, his father Contreras watched his son take the mound and enjoyed the best moment. Michael Shapiro, a reporter who met his father Contreras at the scene, told a heartwarming story, "When I asked Jose in the Brazilian fan seat who was the better pitcher at 17, he answered 'son' of course."

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.