Pat Murphy Reacts to William Contreras' Head-First Slide During Brewers Game

Contreras answers Murphy in style

by Miracle Dimwesh

Sep 26, 2026

Milwaukee Brewers designated hitter William Contreras (24)

William Contreras apparently had a message for Pat Murphy.

One night after the Milwaukee Brewers manager benched Contreras for failing to run hard on a ground ball, the All-Star catcher responded with a head-first slide into first base on Friday against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The play drew laughs from the Brewers dugout, including Murphy, who was caught smiling as Contreras made his point.

Murphy addressed the moment after Milwaukee’s 8-4 win and acknowledged that Contreras appeared to be responding to the previous night’s incident.

“That was entertaining. I think it was a statement to me. That’s the way we communicate,” Murphy said, via Adam McCalvy.

Contreras did more than provide entertainment. He went 1-for-5 with an RBI single as Milwaukee picked up its 101st win of the season.

The catcher entered Friday hitting .271 with 18 home runs, 27 doubles and 93 RBIs across 146 games. His workload has also remained substantial behind the plate throughout Milwaukee’s remarkable season.

The head-first slide came just one day after Murphy removed Contreras during a 5-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. Murphy said afterward that the decision was made because Contreras did not run hard enough on a ground ball that Phillies shortstop Trea Turner initially bobbled.

This time, there was no question about the effort.

Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras (24)

Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

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Contreras charged down the line and launched himself toward the bag, giving Murphy and his teammates a memorable response without needing to say anything.

The Brewers have already secured the NL Central and a first-round bye, but Murphy continues to emphasize the habits that helped Milwaukee reach this point.

For Contreras, Friday’s slide was a humorous way to show that he got the message.