William Contreras Named World Series MVP After Leading Brewers to First Title

William Contreras batted .381 in the World Series to win the Most Valuable Player award. The 28-year-old catcher led the Milwaukee Brewers to their first championship of the franchise history. He became the eighth catcher in Major League Baseball history to receive the honor.

Contreras used the new Automated Ball-Strike challenge system effectively during the final series. He won 10 of 13 appeals with the umpires. His success with the robot umpire challenge system was a key part of Milwaukee's strategy. The Brewers used the system to their advantage throughout the postseason.

The team closed out the series on Wednesday night with a 4-1 victory over the opponent in Game 5. Contreras contributed an RBI double during the clinching win. The result secured the title for the small-market Brewers. He was named MVP moments after the final out.

Reliever Aaron Ashby praised Contreras' daily effort for the team. Ashby said, “He posts every day. This team’s not what it is without this guy. He’s unbelievable.” Contreras embraced his older brother Willson Contreras after receiving the award. Willson Contreras plays first base for the Boston Red Sox and won a World Series with the Chicago Cubs in 2016.

William Contreras also represented Venezuela at the World Baseball Classic earlier this year. He was part of the team that won its first WBC title in March. Despite going 0 for 13 with no RBIs in that tournament, he celebrated the World Series win with a Venezuelan flag draped over his shoulders. He joined teammates Jackson Chourio and Antonio Senzatela as players winning both the WBC and World Series in the same year.

Contreras said, “It means everything because that’s the first time Venezuela guys win the WBC and the World Series. It’s history, history for my country. I love Venezuela. It’s my country.” During the regular season, he led the league with 185 challenges and 105 overturns. His postseason record was 22 overturned calls out of 33 total attempts.

The three-time All-Star hit .270 with 18 home runs and 94 RBIs during the regular season. That was a career-best RBI total for him. The Brewers won their fourth straight NL Central title. Contreras hit .444 in the Division Series against San Diego, including two solo home runs. He batted .357 with one home run and three RBIs in the Championship Series sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers.