HOUSTON —Joseph Contrerastried to go to sleep Friday night, but it was impossible.
His cell phone kept ringing. Friends were calling. Teammates from Blessed Trinity Catholic High School in Roswell, Georgia were screaming. Coaches were checking in. And family members were euphoric.
When he finally fell asleep, he had already received hundreds of text messages, and when he woke up early in the morning, hundreds more awaited.
Hey, when you're a17-year-old who has an excused school absenceto go getthree-time MVP Aaron Judgeto hit into a double play in the World Baseball Classic, life comes at you fast.
"My phone has been blowing up," Contreras said. "We have a group chat. It was just going crazy. It was, like, 'Let's go, you're the man!'
"And it was just really exciting and knowing that they were always behind me because this year went on and on, and I could feel the presence of not just me, but my whole support staff."
Contreras, the youngest player in this World Baseball Classic, burst onto the scene Friday night when he entered the game for Brazil to face the most powerful lineup in the world.
He came in throwing 97-mph fastballs, forkballs and changeups, and although he was hardly perfect in his 1 ⅓-inning stint, he had a surreal moment that he'll cherish forever.
Bases loaded. One out.
Judge at the plate.
And he induced an inning-ending double play grounder that had the entire baseball world buzzing.
"The scouting report was just attack him hard in, and then if we go away on him," Contreras said, "make sure it's up and away. So I was just, like, OK, I'll throw the fastball up and away. After that, it was 1-1, needed to win the count, so I decided to go two-seam hard on him."
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Boom, Judge hit a routine ground ball just 77.2-mph off his bat to third baseman Leonardo Reginatto, who started the double play.
The next thing Contreras knew, he was dancing off the mound celebrating while his Brazilian teammates screamed.
"Now that I look back," Contreras said, "I can see the magnitude of bases loaded, one out. In the moment I was [thinking], "I just have to execute my pitches and just hopefully just get him out somehow. Fly ball. Maybe ground ball. Just force weak contact.'"
All the electric moments from USA-Brazil World Baseball Classic game
Certainly, it grabbed the attention of pro scouts in attendance. If Contreras was ranked 47thon theMLB.com draft prospect list, they sure want to know who the other 46 players are ahead of him.
"I think it just shows scouts that my stuff plays," said Contreras, who has a verbal commitment with Vanderbilt. "I just followed my father's advice. My father told me to keep attacking the zone. He also told me that I show no fear and that I should keep on working with what I've got.
"At the end of the day I need to get more outs or more strikeouts, and that is what's going to help me get to the next level."
And after watching Contreras perform Friday, there's no doubt in the mind of Judge and other players on the USA team that they'll be facing him again one day in the big leagues.
"I know I wasn't doing that at that age," Judge said. "Just great stuff. I know he had some poise on the mound. He's throwing 100 miles an hour. He's facing Team USA, a lot of guys he has seen on TV.
"It was just impressive seeing him control himself out there and get out of a big jam. And he had some good stuff."
He'll be going back to reality and high school after Brazil plays its final game in the WBC.
But, oh, will he ever have some stories to tell his buddies back home.
"Can you imagine?" USA starter Logan Webb said. "This guy is throwing a high school game a week ago, and now he's throwing 98-mph against our lineup. Impressive to watch."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Brazil's Joseph Contreras leaves World Baseball Classic in awe at 17
HOUSTON —Joseph Contrerastried to go to sleep Friday night, but it was impossible. His cell phone kept ringing....
