MLB All-Star Game

William Contreras Named MLB All-Star, Joins Brother Willson

The two catchers will be the first brothers to start on the same All-Star team in 30 years

William Contreras named All-Star, joins brother Willson originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

The Contreras brothers’ dream has been realized.

Braves catcher William Contreras earned first career All-Star selection Sunday, following his brother, Cubs catcher Willson Contreras, in being named to the team.

Willson was voted in by fans as the National League’s starting catcher for the July 19 game at Dodger Stadium. William made it as a reserve, a process determined by player balloting.

William will join Willson in the starting lineup, replacing the injured Bryce Harper as the designated hitter.

William, who finished second in voting for the NL’s starting designated hitter spot, is having a strong season — his first extended run in the big-leagues.

Entering Sunday, he was hitting .266/.350/.568 with 11 home runs, tied for fifth among all catchers.

Willson reacted to the news on Instagram.

Willson and William have talked in recent weeks about potentially each being All-Stars this season, and the possibility of that happening was almost impossible to put into words.

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“You almost can't even dream about something like that,” William said when Atlanta came to town to play the Cubs in June. “But to have both brothers be All-Stars like that, I mean, it would just be unreal.”

Willson, when asked about the possibility during the last Cubs homestand, said he was “speechless.”

“If we can make it together, we’re both going to enjoy it a lot,” Willson said. “My family would be really proud, and we would enjoy it. I’m speechless." 

“You just asked me, and I have so many things on my mind, thinking back to [childhood] days in my neighborhood in Venezuela, the long way that we had to come to make it to the big leagues. 

“I can say a lot, but at the same time, I’m speechless.”

The significance of a Contreras brothers family reunion at the All-Star Game wasn’t lost on Bengie Molina, the eldest of the venerable Molina brothers trio that played in the bigs but never made an All-Star team together.

“That would be amazing,” Bengie told NBC Sports Chicago in June.

The Braves-Cubs June series at Wrigley was the first time the Contreras brothers squared off in the big leagues, which Willson called “the best moment of our life.”

The All-Star Game is certain to be another special moment.

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