Milwaukee catcher William Contreras wins World Series MVP after leading Brewers to title

William Contreras became the eighth catcher to earn the World Series Most Valuable Player award after leading the Milwaukee Brewers to their first championship. The 28-year-old Venezuelan finished the five-game series with a .381 batting average. He also secured a double with a run batted in during the 4-1 victory that clinched the title for Milwaukee on Wednesday night.

Contreras guided the pitching staff and recorded four outs on base runners. He capitalized on the new automated ball-strike system, successfully overturning 10 of 13 appeals during the World Series. The system allows teams to challenge umpire calls. Contreras led Major League Baseball with 185 challenges and 105 reversals during the regular season. He also converted 22 of 33 challenges in the postseason.

Reliever Aaron Ashby praised the catcher’s daily work ethic. "He shows up every day," Ashby said. "This team would not be what it is without this guy. It is incredible." After receiving the MVP trophy, Contreras hugged his older brother Willson, a first baseman for the Boston Red Sox. Willson Contreras won a World Series with the Chicago Cubs in 2016. William Contreras, who was in tears, called his brother his best friend.

The victory marks a historic year for Venezuelan baseball. Contreras, along with teammates Jackson Chourio and Antonio Senzatela, joined Alex Bregman and Luke Gregerson as the only players to win both the World Baseball Classic and the World Series in the same calendar year. Venezuela won its first World Baseball Classic in March. Contreras draped a Venezuelan flag over his shoulders while celebrating on the field. "It means everything because it is the first time the guys from Venezuela win the Classic and the World Series," he said. "It is history, history for my country. I love Venezuela. It is my country."

This adds to Contreras’s previous accolades. He is a three-time All-Star who batted .270 with 18 home runs and a personal-best 94 runs batted in during the regular season. The Brewers captured their fourth straight National League Central Division title. In the postseason, Contreras batted .444 with two solo home runs against San Diego in the division series. He hit .357 with a home run and three runs batted in during the sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the championship series.

Other Brewers players also had strong performances. Infielder Cooper Pratt set a rookie World Series record with six consecutive hits. He matched Gil McDougald’s 1951 rookie record with seven runs batted in. Chourio collected 11 hits, the most by a player in a five-game World Series. Starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski allowed one run in 10 and two-thirds innings. Ashby pitched 5 and two-thirds scoreless innings, recording a save and nine strikeouts.

Contreras joins Gene Tenace, Johnny Bench, Steve Yeager, Darrell Porter, Rick Dempsey, Pat Borders, and Salvador Pérez as the catchers to win the award. Yeager shared the honor in 1981. Pérez is also from Venezuela. Contreras credited his success to routine rather than chance. "It is not magic," he said. "I think it is the experience of playing every day during the entire season."