Willson Contreras Surprises 11-Year Old with Down Syndrome at School

Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras gave a young fan a pleasant surprise on Thursday.

Per Madeline Kenney of the Chicago Sun-Times, Contreras arrived at Franklin Park's Engel School for kids with special needs to hang out with Daniel Rodriguez, who has Down syndrome, and 60 of his classmates. 

Rodriguez, 11, first met Contreras at Advocate Children’s Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois, in 2017. He also got to spend time with the Cubs All-Star at spring training in 2017 and last year when Rodriguez received a VIP experience at Wrigley Field and was gifted with a signed helmet, batting gloves and jersey. Contreras hit a three-run homer in that game against the Chicago White Sox. 

"From the first moment that he saw him, that they interacted … they were just communicating in their own little way," Rodiguez's mother, Nyvia Crespo, told Kenney. "That first impression has lasted him until this day … Willson just made him feel so much better that day. It's like his medicine."

During their time together Thursday, Contreras and Rodriguez played whiffle ball and corn hole.