ENGLISH VERSION (click here!)
Competing—that’s the name of the game. But when there’s cash on the line, the stakes hit different. If you’re getting paid to play the sport you love and the front office expects you to earn that paycheck, you better believe the heat’s on when things don’t go your way. That pressure’s real, especially in big-league baseball and pro soccer—the heavy hitters of mass appeal. Case in point: Venezuelan DH and Cards regular Wilson Contreras. He broke in as a backstop a decade ago, but the last time he strapped on the tools of ignorance was back in 2024—and only for 33 games. He logged 84 total that season, the rest as a bat-only guy. So why’d he suit up for just a shade over half the 162-game grind? Savvy fans know the drill—dude spent time riding the injured list.
---  Screenshot from [video](https://www.mlb.com/es/gameday/pirates-vs-cardinals/2025/08/25/776589/final/video) #  #
ENGLISH VERSION (click here!)
Details aside, here’s the setup for what went down yesterday at Busch Stadium, with the hometown Cards hosting the Buccos. Picture the clutch moment: ducks on the pond at second and third, two away, Contreras digging in with one strike already on him, and St. Louis trailing by a pair. Next pitch’s a dead-red changeup right down Broadway—Wilson lets it rip and sends a missile up the gut. Both runners come around, game knotted at four apiece. Next guy up laces a two-bagger and Contreras motors home, Cards now up 5–4. Fast forward to his next AB—who knows what was swirling in Wilson’s dome—but reliever Yohan Ramírez feeds him three straight pills and punches his ticket. Contreras steps out of the box steaming, chirps the home plate ump, and gets run from the game. As they’re trying to cool him off and steer him toward the dugout, he flings his lumber behind him without looking and clips the batboy. Island blood showing through.
---  Screenshot from [Video](https://www.mlb.com/es/gameday/phillies-vs-mets/2025/08/25/776598/final/video) # 
ENGLISH VERSION (click here!)
When it’s time to earn back some of that clubhouse faith, there’s only one way to do it—swing the stick and drive in runs. That was the story yesterday at Citi Field, where Luis Torrens played the unlikely hero for the New York Mets. The division-topping Phillies were in town, but the Amazins lit up the scoreboard with a 13–3 beatdown, and Torrens was right in the thick of it, plating five. He was 0-for-2 heading into the fifth with the Mets clinging to a 5–4 lead, then ripped an oppo double to cash in one. Next trip, two ducks on the pond—same approach, bigger swing, and boom: three-run jack. Final AB? Another oppo poke, this time a seeing-eye single behind the keystone to bring home one more. With both squads scrapping for a playoff spot, the Mets came out swinging and made a statement, trimming the gap with Philly in a crucial set.
 Screenshot from [video](https://www.mlb.com/es/gameday/braves-vs-marlins/2025/08/25/776600/final/video) # 
ENGLISH VERSION (click here!)
Last but not least, tip your cap to Venezuelan rookie third baseman Máximo Acosta. Kid’s only logged 18 trips to the dish in The Show, but get this—he’s got just three knocks, and every single one left the yard. He’s slashing .167/.211/.667 with an OPS north of .875. Wild. Yesterday, he was the difference-maker at LoanDepot Park on Calle Ocho, helping the Fish edge the Braves. Got a hanger at 85 right down Broadway and absolutely torched it—dead center tank to make it 2–0 Miami. Ninth inning got dicey with Atlanta pushing one across, but Calvin Faucher came in and slammed the door. The kicker? All three of Acosta’s bombs have gone 400-plus to straightaway center. Shades of Miggy Cabrera in his rookie days. But let’s pump the brakes—he’s still green. What say you, folks? Drop your takes in the comments and let the debate roll.
#