HOUSTON — Baseball is unpredictable, so Lucas Ramirez has made a habit of settling for the next best thing.
In the months leading up to Brazil’s World Baseball Classic debut against the United States, the outfielder routinely practiced affirmations and visualizations to prepare him for baseball’s international stage.
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“Ever since the (WBC) qualifying rounds, I’ve been imagining the first punch bomb,” Ramirez said. “It’s really crazy that this is actually happening. For five months, every time I prayed and went to bed, I imagined it. It just happened.”
So when Ramirez circled the bases at Daikin Park on Friday night after hitting his first home run in Brazil’s first at-bat at the World Cup (one of two solo home runs he hit in the game), he screamed, “I told you so!”
“I say, go out there with confidence that you can do anything you say you can do,” Ramirez said afterward. “If you say it out loud, it’s going to happen. I’m telling you. It’s going to happen.”
Although the United States broke the tie in the final frame, outscoring Brazil 15-5, Brazil’s two youngest players provided the team’s best moments.
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Ramirez, 20 years and 49 days old, is the youngest player in WBC history to hit multiple home runs. His teammate, Brazilian pitcher Joseph Contreras, who became the youngest player in the tournament at 17 years and 291 days old, allowed an inning double to U.S. captain Aaron Judge with the bases loaded.
When asked where this moment ranked in his career, Contreras, a senior at Blessed Trinity Catholic High School in suburban Atlanta, said: “That’s got to be up there. Those are definitely the top two moments. I would say the first one is obviously winning the state championship in my hometown. There’s nothing better than winning it all.”
Both players represent Brazil due to their maternal heritage and are the sons of Major League Baseball legends. Ramirez’s father, Manny, won two World Series with the Red Sox and was a 12-time All-Star. Contreras’ father, Jose, won the 2005 World Series with the White Sox and was an All-Star in 2006.
Both fathers were in the stands at Daikin Park on Friday to watch their sons make their WBC debut. The Sons’ performance proved they can create their own legacy.
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“Having Manny Ramirez be my dad is obviously a good thing and a bad thing,” Lucas Ramirez said. “It’s a little hard. Everybody expects so much. That’s probably why I imagine and say things, I guess – because I have to paint my own picture. I have to be Lucas Ramirez and I have my own path.”
He wasted little time. Judge’s two-run hit in the first half of the first inning gave the U.S. an early 2-0 lead, but it was quickly tied.
In Brazil’s game against San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb, Ramirez hit a low, inside-corner fastball over the wall in right-center field. From where the ball hit the ground, Brazil was in a frenzy in the home bullpen, with one reliever hanging over the fence.
Ramirez said that in addition to thinking about dropping the bomb, he had another thought coming to mind before taking the bases.
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“I’m going to go out there and give it my all and I’m going to have fun,” he said. “Too many people work on the field and they’ve made baseball their whole life. They play a bad game and they’re going to have a bad attitude all day long. Like, this is temporary. We’re here for the time being and we’re going to go out and enjoy life and enjoy life.”
In the first half of the second game, Contreras took over from Brazil starter Hiroshi Takahashi to get revenge on Judge, but then got into trouble.
After exiting the first batter he faced, Contreras gave up a hard-hit double to Bryce Turang and gave up back-to-back walks to Bobby Witt Jr. and Bryce Harper to load the bases for the American captain.
Contreras tied the game at 1-1 against Judge with a two-seamer pitch to the inside of home plate. Judge ended the inning with a 5-4-3 double. Brazilian first baseman Osvaldo Carvalho pumped his fist wildly while Contreras walked to the dugout, high-fiving and patting himself on the back.
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“It was such a surreal experience,” Contreras said. “I was trying to visualize it and make sure to keep breathing, but when the lights came on and I was on the mound, it was like, ‘OK, now you have to face Byron Buxton. OK, now this is real.’ The game sped up a little bit for me, but now I know what it’s going to be like next time.”
In his scoreless run, Contreras walked two of the next three batters he faced before Kyle Schwarber scored on a wild pitch and knocked the teenager out of the game, trailing 3-1 Brazil. Still, Team USA was impressed with Contreras’ performance.
“It’s impressive. I know I didn’t do that at that age, that’s for sure,” Judge said. “It was awesome. I knew he had some composure on the mound. He was throwing up to 100 miles an hour. He was facing Team USA, a lot of guys he’d seen on TV or something like that. It was really impressive to see him control himself out there and get out of trouble.”
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In the eighth inning, Ramirez hit another home run off American reliever Gabe Speyer’s first out, making the score 8-5.
As Ramirez and Brazil coach Yuichi Matsumoto left the interview room after the game, members of the U.S. team were waiting in the hallway. U.S. coach Mark DeRosa told Ramirez, “Great swing!” Judge shook Ramirez’s hand, and Ramirez asked the three-time American League MVP to take a photo with him.
Ramirez played for the Los Angeles Angels and spent the 2025 season at the High-A level. Contreras will graduate from high school this spring and is committed to playing college ball at Vanderbilt if he is not drafted by a Major League Baseball organization.
While both inherited some of their father’s traits, neither has yet made it to the major leagues.
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Ramirez copied his father’s swing, although he was taught to hit with his left hand instead of his right. The 20-year-old was selected in the 17th round of the 2024 draft and helped Brazil qualify for the WBC last March.
The first pitch Contreras learned was his father’s infamous forkball. At 6 feet 4 inches, the son is tall and lanky like his father and possesses the same quiet confidence.
“Man, that kid is special,” Ramirez said. “Obviously, his dad played baseball, too, so that’s great. That kid is going to have his lights turned off one day.”
Ramirez often traveled to Brazil during the Christmas season to visit his grandmother and grandfather, who owned a cattle ranch there. He said playing for Brazil would only strengthen his connection to the country. Ramirez, who speaks fluent Spanish and some Portuguese, asked older players about Brazil’s only WBC appearance in 2013 and was taught how to dance to Brazilian funk music by some teammates.
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Friday night’s loss to the United States in pool play left Brazil still seeking its first WBC victory after falling 0-3 in the 2013 tournament. Brazil is scheduled to play its remaining pool matches against Italy, Mexico and Great Britain in Houston.
The final score could have been worse, but the U.S. offense was more garbage than great. While Brazil’s pitchers walked 17 batters, struck out two more and committed three pitch-time violations, the Americans went 5-for-21 with runners in scoring position and 13 runners on the line.
However, most fans will remember the night when two rising stars stole the spotlight from the tournament favorites.
Of course, Ramirez and Contreras will never forget that. The next time Ramirez imagines his success, he can close his eyes and imagine those moments again and again.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Manny Ramirez’s son becomes star for Brazil in WBC fight against U.S.