Jesse RogersApr 3, 2026, 07:00 AM ET
- Jesse joined ESPN Chicago in September 2009 and covers MLB for ESPN.com.
IN THE HISTORY of Major League Baseball, there have been 670 World Series games and just four have featured three catchers appearing for the same team. But only once in all those years and all those contests have all three catchers also produced a hit and RBI -- and it happened in one of the most famous Fall Classic games ever played.
Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon entered Game 7 of the 2016 World Series against the Cleveland Indians with a script, and though chaos reigned over the course of 10 intense innings, his three catchers -- Willson Contreras, David Ross and Miguel Montero -- didn't waver from their jobs, playing crucial roles in securing Chicago's victory.
A decade after the Cubs ended their 108-year World Series curse in Cleveland, here is the story of the three catchers who made their own history on that November night.
Catcher No. 1
MADDON DEVISED HIS Game 7 plan in the hurried hours the night before after his team forced a decisive final contest in a series they had once trailed 3-1.
Kyle Hendricks, MLB's ERA leader that season, would start for the Cubs against Cleveland ace Corey Kluber. Even with more than a century of history weighing on the matchup, Maddon chose the 24-year-old Contreras to catch Hendricks over two more experienced options.
"For him to be a rookie, starting Game 7, was pretty insane now that I look back on it," Ross said recently. "He was really young."
Contreras debuted midway through the 2016 season, immediately showing he was ready for big moments when he hit a two-run, pinch-hit home run on the first pitch he saw as a major leaguer on June 17. He played 76 games during the regular season and started nine in the postseason as one of three catchers on Chicago's deep roster.
"I haven't been on too many teams where you feel like there is competition at catching," Ross said. "We didn't care about our stats. I was on my way out. Miggy [Montero] had a guaranteed contract, and Willson is up from the minors and excited to be part of the group."
With Contreras behind the plate, Hendricks navigated through Cleveland's lineup, allowing just one earned run over the game's first 4⅔ innings. When Hendricks was removed in the fifth, the Cubs were seemingly in control, up 5-1, with Contreras driving in one of those runs on a fourth-inning double.
"He was not intimidated by the moment," Maddon said recently. "A street fighter who put his passion on right after brushing his teeth. I trusted him. He played hard and wanted to win. May have been young but he was a huge part of us getting through Game 7."
Catcher No. 1 had done his job.
Catcher No. 2
MADDON TRIGGERED PART TWO of his plan when he removed Hendricks after he walked Carlos Santana on some questionable ball-strike calls. With left-handed hitter Jason Kipnis coming up for Cleveland -- and with Jon Lester entering the game, it was time for his personal catcher, Ross, to enter as well.
The quick hook for a starter who had rolled through the first four-plus innings has been questioned in the years since Chicago's victory, but Ross recently offered his explanation for Maddon's maneuver.
"You don't want to be too late in Game 7," he said. "You might be early, but you don't want to be late. And Jon was firing bullets down in the bullpen."
Taking out the slugging Contreras meant a downgrade at the plate, but Maddon believed it was worth it in order to give Lester the familiarity of Ross, who had already declared Game 7 would be the final game of his career.
"We had talked about that the day before," Maddon said in a phone interview recently. "Jonny Lester was going to be a big part of that game. And I told David the day before, 'Listen, when Jon comes in, you're coming in with him. I don't care when it is, you're coming into the game.'
"I also gave Willson the heads-up, too, that that was going to happen. I did not want to ambush him."
Known as Grandpa Ross, the 39-year-old was the heart and soul of the Cubs clubhouse, keeping things loose in a pressure-packed season along with being the stern voice in the room when needed. It seemed fitting for him to be behind the plate for some of the final outs as Chicago marched toward history.
"Going into my last game, it was nice to have a plan that I was going to get in no matter what," Ross said. "Except, I came in and almost wrecked it."
On the sixth pitch of the at-bat, Kipnis barely made contact on a grounder that rolled a few feet in front of home plate. Ross jumped on it and turned to fire to first baseman Anthony Rizzo.
Ross shook his head remembering the moment a decade later: "I threw the ball into the stands, almost killing Rizz."
The throw was high and wide, causing a mini collision between Kipnis and Rizzo as Santana took third while Kipnis was awarded second. Two pitches later, Lester spiked a curveball that smacked Ross in the helmet, knocking him over and allowing Santana and Kipnis to come home. The score was 5-3, and the Cubs were imploding.
"Wait a minute, I'm the defensive specialist," Ross was thinking. "What the hell is going on?"
The next inning Ross capitalized on a chance to atone for his defensive mistakes, blasting a 1-2 fastball by reliever Andrew Miller out to right-center field for the final home run of his 15-year career.
"Being able to connect on one was a little bit of a relief," Ross said with a smile. "I let two in but got one back."
Things calmed for the Cubs after that home run as Lester pitched into the eighth inning before Jose Ramirez chased him with an infield single.
Maddon's plan moved to the next phase: bringing in hard-throwing closer Aroldis Chapman for a four-out, World Series Game 7 save.
Ross stayed in, even though he had only been behind the plate with Chapman on the mound for 4⅓ innings since his arrival in July.
The pairing did not go smoothly.
With two outs and the Cubs leading 6-3, Ross called seven straight fastballs to outfielder Brandon Guyer, who caught up to the last one, doubling to right-center and bringing Cleveland within two runs.
Undeterred, Ross called seven more fastballs to Raja Davis, who golfed the seventh one down the left field line for a tying homer that set off pandemonium inside Progressive Field.
"I called a ton of heaters," Ross recalled without much fondness. "It was probably a big mistake. Raja Davis choked up on the bat like 4,000 feet and connected.
"Too many fastballs."
Cubs' game planner Mike Borzello added: "And then we get to Aroldis. We attacked that inning with all heaters and Davis winds up catching one. Was supposed to be up, it was down and he was able to drop the head on it and here we are in a tie game. Brutal."
Catcher No. 3
BY NOW, MADDON'S plan was nearly out the window. Cleveland had stormed back and the threat of another year of Cubs heartbreak was rising.
Ross led off the ninth inning by drawing a walk from reliever Cody Allen. He was replaced by a pinch runner, ending his night -- and career.
"That was a crazy way to go out," he said. "I'm just glad it eventually went our way."
In an unusual move, the Cubs were switching catchers between the eighth and ninth innings -- but not pitchers. It's normally the opposite in a game. But of course, this was no normal game.
That meant the rest of the night behind the plate would belong to Montero, who had begun the 2016 season as Chicago's starter but had seen his playing time reduced when Contreras arrived in June. Montero remained an integral part of the team and showed his clutch aptitude by blasting a monumental pinch-hit grand slam against the Dodgers in the NLCS days earlier.
His Game 7 task was no small one: get a shaken Chapman through the ninth unscathed. After sitting for eight innings, the game was in Montero's hands.
"It started the night before when we were alerted of the game plan by Joe," Borzello recalled. "We knew that Willson was going to start and catch Kyle and go as far as that went. Then we were going to line change the battery and bring Rossy and Lester in. Those were a given.
"Miggy was on the fly."
Montero and Chapman had to quickly lock in a game plan against the top of Cleveland's lineup: Santana, Kipnis and Francisco Lindor.
"The one thing that got me the most nervous is I didn't have a feel for the hitters," Montero said. "I hadn't caught one game in the playoffs. To come in with the game tied, it's f---ing nerve-racking."
Despite that feeling, he displayed calm in front of Chapman and instead of calling for fastballs as Ross had, Montero mixed it up with some off-speed pitches. Borzello had prepared for the moment the night before and understood Montero hadn't had much time behind the plate.
"I knew there was probably some bitterness there," Borzello said. "I told him, 'You're going to get in this game. You have to be locked in.'
"We're going to have to trick them. Sliders and a couple splits. Chapman's fastball wasn't the same. Miggy did an unbelievable job."
Chapman retired the side in order. He and Montero did their jobs in the most intense moment, one emotionally spent and one straight off the bench.
"I knew, if we could make it through the ninth, I'd feel good about it," Montero said. "But I wasn't sure. Chapman is beat up, man. I mean beat up. We had the top of the lineup for them.
"Like I said, it was really f---ing nerve-racking."
Cubs exec Jed Hoyer added: "The ninth was the most harrowing, without a doubt. We were a sitting duck there, having a tired Chapman on the mound and he's a mess. But Miggy did a heck of a job."
Montero's night was just beginning.
After a short rain delay interrupted play for 17 minutes, the Cubs came to the plate in the top of the 10th inning and broke through. Ben Zobrist doubled home a run and then Addison Russell was intentionally walked to load the bases with Montero at the plate.
After nine innings on the bench, one in the field and then a delay due to weather, finally, Montero was at the plate with a chance to add to Chicago's lead. He sliced a 1-1 cutter from reliever Bryan Shaw through the left side of the infield for an RBI single and the Cubs lead grew to 8-6.
Like the two before him, catcher No. 3 had his hit and run driven in.
"The fact that all three catchers played on the defensive side and got at-bats and all had major contributions," Borzello said. "You're never going to see that in the history of the game. Game 7? Never again."
Borzello's next thought?
"We're still not done."
THE CUBS HAD the lead but needed to get through the bottom of the 10th and once again, their third catcher of the night would play a big part in it.
With their veteran relievers used up -- and starter Jake Arrieta throwing in the pen on zero days rest -- Maddon turned to 24-year-old righty Carl Edwards Jr. for the biggest three outs of his life.
Edwards got the first two batters, but his nerves began to show with a five-pitch walk to Guyer that brought the tying run to the plate. Davis, two innings after his tying home run, delivered an RBI single that cut Chicago's lead to 8-7.
Maddon had seen enough. Knowing that lightly used switch-hitting outfielder Mike Martinez was on deck, he turned to Borzello.
"Which way, which way? Maddon asked.
"Righty. We want him righty," Borzello answered.
Borzello's preparation was crucial with the entire World Series coming down to a journeyman infielder who had entered in the top of the inning for his defense.
"This is big, because when you create a scouting report, you have to pay as much attention to the 25th man because who knows when he's going to show up," Borzello said.
Now, the career .194 hitter was about to take the most important at-bat of his life, and the Cubs wanted him taking it right-handed -- so they brought in left-handed reliever Mike Montgomery. The 26-year-old Montgomery was finishing his first full year in the big leagues, and his nerves were clear to his catcher.
"The 10th inning when we got the lead, it was a little bit easier," Montero said. "We got two outs -- then it got complicated again."
Montero and Montgomery met on the mound but neither knew how they were going to attack Martinez.
"Look, on his good days, you never know what you're going to get with Miggy," Montgomery said with a smile. "I said 'Miggy, what do we got, what are we going to throw?'
"He goes, 'I'll let you know' and then turns around and walks calmly away. I'm standing there, stunned."
As he walked back to the dugout, Montero looked at Borzello for guidance.
"I know Michael Martinez, but Miggy doesn't know him," Borzello said. "I signal to him 'curveball.'"
The Cubs dugout was filled with tension and no one outside of Borzello knew anything about Martinez, the man standing between them and the end of a 108 years of heartbreak.
"Lester and I were together in the dugout, and we didn't know the plan," Kyle Schwarber said. "Once you're out of the game, you have no control. I ran down to Borzy.
"WHAT DO WE GOT? WHAT DO WE GOT?" Schwarber screamed.
Borzello turned to Schwarber and said, "We got curveball!"
"I ran back down the dugout, screaming, 'WE GOT CURVEBALL, WE GOT CURVEBALL," Schwarber said.
With the tying run at first base, Montero called for the curve -- and Montgomery dropped one perfectly into his mitt. Strike 1 looking.
"I couldn't feel my legs," Montgomery said. "I set the International League record for wild pitches because of my curveball. Fast-forward two years, and it's the pitch they're calling to win the World Series. It had come a long way."
Montero looked back into the dugout. Curve again.
"Why not?" Montero thought. "It worked once."
The next one nipped the outside corner of the plate as Martinez swung and pulled a soft grounder to third base. Kris Bryant picked it up, threw to first and the Cubs had their elusive championship. Montgomery and Montero came through.
"Miggy is an unsung hero," Ross said 10 years later.
"You forget he had the same pressure that I did," Montgomery said in agreement.
Montero was the final performer of something that we might never see in a World Series game again. Three catchers, three hits, three RBIs -- in a one-run win. All while catching multiple pitchers.
"The fact that all three guys were able to handle their role and contribute on both sides of the ball is incredible," Borzello said, shaking his head.
"All three contributing like that is a great thread in that game," Maddon said. "It really is."
Hoyer added: "You think about a roster with three catchers, generally that third guy is there for protection only so you can use the other two. It's pretty amazing they all had a role in that game.
"Big ones."
