St. Louis Cardinals fans boastful about Willson Contreras’ breakout game with team: "Never scapegoat him again" "He loves being here. Embrace him"

Willson Contreras had his long-awaited breakout performance with the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday night. The first-year Cardinals catcher hit two home runs to go with six RBIs on a 2-for-5 evening as St. Louis battered the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers 16-8.

Contreras finished with a batting average of .256 this season that matches his career average. The homers were his fourth and fifth of the year, and the six RBIs were a third of his season total heading into Thursday's contest.

After seven seasons with the archrival Chicago Cubs, Willson Conteras joined the Cardinals as a free agent this past offseason. After agreeing to his five-year, $87.5 million contract with the Cardinals after seven seasons with the Cubs, Contreras directed several harsh comments towards his former team.

However, St. Louis seemed to make him a poster boy for the team's struggles after the Cardinals stumbled out of the gate and briefly owned the National League's worst record.

The Cardinals briefly took Willson Contreras' catching duties away from him after the St. Louis pitching staff was torched time and again over the first five weeks of the season.

However, manager Oliver Marmol's moratorium on using Contreras stictly as a designated hitter lasted only a week. His quick heel turn coinciding with the Cardinals beginning to play less awful baseball.

Fans were quick to remind the organization of the prize it has in Contreras.

The Cardinals have begun to show signs of life recently. While St. Louis is still dead last in the NL Central with a 19-26 record, the team has won eight of its last 10 games and is currently only the second-worst team in the senior circuit.

In addition to Willson Conteras' hitting, the Cardinals have also been boosted by the return of staff ace Adam Wainwright to the rotation.

And, for one lucky Cardinals fan, he got an extra souvenir on the evening: one of Contreras' home run balls.

Willson Contreras a three-time All-Star for Chicago Cubs

Willson Contreras of the Chicago Cubs acknowledges the crowd at Wrigley Field in 2022.

Contreras hit 117 home runs with 365 RBIs and a .256 batting average over seven seasons with the Cubs before signing as a free agent with St. Louis this offseason. He was named to three All-Star teams and drove in a run in the Cubs' 2016 World Series-clinching Game 7 win against the Cleveland Guardians.