Milwaukee catcher William Contreras earns World Series MVP honors
The Venezuelan native batted .381 and led the Brewers to their title while utilizing the automated ball-strike system effectively.
By Renata Mehta ·
William Contreras was named the Most Valuable Player of the World Series on Wednesday after leading the Milwaukee Brewers to a 4-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. The 28-year-old catcher became the eighth player in that position to receive the award in baseball history.
Contreras batted .381 during the championship series. He recorded a double that drove in the winning run in the final game. The Brewers secured their title in five games, marking their first championship since 1982. The team also claimed its fourth consecutive Central Division title in the National League.
His performance on the mound included guiding the pitching staff and throwing out four base stealers. Contreras also benefited from the automated ball-strike system, winning 10 of 13 challenges during the series. During the regular season, he led Major League Baseball with 185 challenges and 105 reversals. He went 22 for 33 in challenges across the entire postseason.
Manager Pat Murphy praised the catcher’s defensive intensity. Murphy described Contreras as a pit bull that might bite if approached casually. The manager noted that Contreras is disappointed that his statistics are not higher and that he did not win the Gold Glove award.
Contreras is part of a select group of players who won the World Baseball Classic and the World Series in the same year. He joined teammates Jackson Chourio and Antonio Senzatela, as well as former Houston Astros Alex Bregman and Luke Gregerson. Contreras was a member of the Venezuelan team that won its first World Baseball Classic in March. He went 0 for 13 in that tournament without driving in runs.
The catcher, a three-time All-Star, finished the season with a .270 average, 18 home runs, and a personal record of 94 runs batted in. He hit .444 with two solo home runs in the divisional series against San Diego. In the National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he batted .357 with one home run and three runs batted in.
Other players on the Brewers made strong contributions during the series. Cooper Pratt set a World Series rookie record with six consecutive hits and matched the rookie record for runs batted in with seven. Jackson Chourio recorded 11 hits, the most by a player in a five-game World Series. Starter Jacob Misiorowski went 2-0 with one run allowed in 10.2 innings. Reliever Aaron Ashby pitched 5.2 scoreless innings, saving a game with nine strikeouts.
Contreras embraced his older brother Willson, a first baseman for the Boston Red Sox, after receiving the trophy. Willson won a World Series with the Chicago Cubs in 2016. William Contreras stated that his brother is his role model and close friend. He expressed pride in representing Venezuela, noting that it is the first time players from his country have won both the World Baseball Classic and the World Series in the same year.
