On Friday night, the Milwaukee Brewers faced off against the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 of the World Series and came out on top, 3-2.

The biggest stories of the night were the performance by Jacob Misiorowski, the bullpen and timely hits from the offense. Milwaukee got its scoring early with a triple from Christian Yelich and then a base hit from William Contreras in the first inning. The Brewers had a 2-0 lead and maintained it the rest of the way. What should be talked about a lot more is Contreras' play behind the plate.

Heading into the series, we identified Contreras as the X-factor that could determine the winner of the 2026 World Series. Offensively, he has led the way for Milwaukee in the playoffs. But his defensive play is what is the game-changer for this series specifically. The Rays run when they get on base. There are few catchers in baseball better than Contreras at stopping the run. In 2026, he finished second in caught stealing with 25. Only Joe Mack of the Miami Marlins had more with 26. If the Brewers can keep the Rays in check on the base paths, it will disrupt their offense and give Milwaukee a massive advantage.

On Friday, Contreras did just that.

William Contreras Was The Quiet Star Of Game 1

Contreras caught two Rays trying to steal on Friday night. Both Jonathan Aranda and Victor Mesa Jr. were caught trying to steal bases in Game 1. Mesa already was in scoring position and was caught trying to swipe third base.

The Rays finished the regular season tied for second in the league with 164 stolen bases. It's a massive part of their game. The Rays don't hit many home runs. In the regular season, they finished 22nd in the league with 169 long balls. Junior Caminero bashed 42 of them himself. So, if you can find a way to keep him in check — or even walk him — there isn't much of a power threat in the Rays' lineup.

The Rays get on base, move guys along and score with timely hitting and very good baserunning, for the most part. If Contreras can slow Tampa Bay down on the base paths, that removes a massive part of their game. We saw that on Friday. If the Rays didn't get caught twice on the base paths, the game could've been completely different. Milwaukee won by just one run. This is going to be a close series. A single run can determine a game and ultimately, the series. If Contreras can play as he did on Friday night, Milwaukee is going to be just fine.