William Contreras wins World Series MVP as Brewers claim first championship

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. William Contreras capped Milwaukee's first World Series championship by becoming the eighth catcher to win Series MVP honors. He hit .381 and contributed an RBI double in the Brewers' 4-1 clinching victory in Game 5 on Wednesday night, while also guiding the pitching staff.

Contreras made a decisive contribution behind the plate during the first World Series to feature the automated ball-strike system. He successfully challenged 10 of 13 calls in the Series, bringing his postseason total to 22 successful appeals in 33 attempts. During the regular season, he led Major League Baseball with 185 challenges and 105 overturns. Contreras credited the experience gained from playing every day for his effectiveness.

The award ceremony brought an emotional reunion with his older brother, Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras, who won the World Series with the Chicago Cubs in 2016. William embraced him moments after receiving the honor. "My brother's my best friend," he said through tears.

Contreras also became emotional discussing Venezuela, his home country, whose flag he wore over his shoulders during the on-field celebration. He was part of the Venezuelan team that won its first World Baseball Classic in March, although he went hitless in 13 at-bats and did not drive in a run. Contreras, Jackson Chourio and Antonio Senzatela joined Alex Bregman and Luke Gregerson as the only players to win the WBC and World Series in the same year. Bregman and Gregerson accomplished that with Team USA and Houston in 2017.

The 28-year-old, a three-time All-Star, helped Milwaukee secure its fourth consecutive National League Central championship by batting .270 with 18 home runs and a career-high 94 RBIs. Reliever Aaron Ashby emphasized Contreras' importance to the club, saying: "This team's not what it is without this guy."

Contreras carried that production through the playoffs. Against San Diego in the division series, he batted .444 and hit two solo home runs, including a seventh-inning shot that broke a tie in Game 1 and another in Game 3. He then hit .357 with a home run and three RBIs as Milwaukee swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in the championship series.

Several teammates also built strong cases for the Series award. Cooper Pratt established a rookie Series record with six consecutive hits and matched Gil McDougald's 1951 rookie record of seven RBIs. Pratt delivered go-ahead hits in each of the last three games. Chourio finished with 11 hits, a record for a five-game World Series, while Jacob Misiorowski surrendered one run across 10⅔ innings. Ashby added 5⅔ scoreless innings, nine strikeouts and a save.

Contreras joins seven previous catcher winners: Gene Tenace in 1972, Johnny Bench in 1976, Steve Yeager as a co-winner in 1981, Darrell Porter in 1982, Rick Dempsey in 1983, Pat Borders in 1992 and Salvador Perez in 2015.