William Contreras hit a 439-foot home run, former Nationals prospect Blake Perkins got a go-ahead two-run single, and the Milwaukee Brewers won 8-3 against the Washington Nationals on Friday night.
Contreras’ 12th home run of the year left the park at 108 mph and went well up the center field berm at Nationals Park. His last home run was also against the Nationals on July 14 in Milwaukee.
“The sky’s the limit for this kid, man,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “I don’t know if I can help, but gosh darn, I wish he would understand how great he can be, like how great. I mean this kid could be a force, changing teams, because he is a catcher and he’s really good at it, being such an offensive threat.”
Pinch-hitter Perkins, who was a second-round pick by the Nationals in 2015, hit a 0-2 fastball from reliever Robert Garcia with two outs in the sixth inning to break a 3-3 tie. Perkins ended the game 2 for 2 with two RBIs.
“It all comes full circle, I suppose,” Perkins said. “It’s cool to be here. It feels like a long time ago I was drafted by them. It’s always cool to do something fun against your old team.”
Rhys Hoskins and Garrett Mitchell each had two doubles and three RBIs to support veteran right-hander Frankie Montas (5-8), who won his debut with the Brewers.
CJ Abrams gave the Nationals an early lead with a two-run home run over the right-center field wall in the third inning. The homer traveled 396 feet with a 102.2 mph exit velocity.
It was one of the few significant hits allowed by Montas, who was Milwaukee’s 17th different starter this season, the most in the major leagues and matching a franchise record set by the 1969 Seattle Pilots.
The 31-year-old Montas, acquired from the Cincinnati Reds just before the trade deadline, pitched five innings to get the win, giving up three runs on nine hits with no walks and five strikeouts on 89 pitches.
“I have been in that spot so many freaking times,” Montas said about his debut with his new team. “One of the things I told myself going out there today was not trying to do too much. Just be you. Everybody knows who you are. Just go out there and have fun.”
