William Contreras was voted World Series MVP after batting .381 as the Milwaukee Brewers won their first World Series championship.
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William Contreras became the eighth catcher to win the World Series MVP award after helping lift the Milwaukee Brewers to their first World Series championship, following their clinching win in Game 5 in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Contreras batted .381 in the World Series while guiding Milwaukee’s pitching staff and making the most of the first Series with the Automated Ball-Strike challenge system, winning 10 of 13 appeals.
In the Brewers’ 4-1 victory in Game 5, Contreras delivered an RBI double as Milwaukee closed out the series.
Reliever Aaron Ashby said, “He posts every day,” adding, “This team’s not what it is without this guy. He’s unbelievable.”
Moments after receiving the MVP, Contreras embraced his older brother, Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras, who previously won a World Series with the Chicago Cubs in 2016.
William Contreras also spoke about Venezuela, where he said, “It means everything because that’s the first time Venezuela guys win the WBC,” describing it as “history, history for my country. I love Venezuela. It’s my country.”
Contreras was on Venezuela’s team at the World Baseball Classic in March, when it won its first title, and he went 0 for 13 with no RBIs.
The 28-year-old Contreras joins Gene Tenace (1972), Johnny Bench (1976), Steve Yeager (co-winner in 1981), Darrell Porter (1982), Rick Dempsey (1983), Pat Borders (1992) and Salvador Perez (2015) as catchers to win the award.
A three-time All-Star, Contreras batted .270 with 18 home runs and a career-best 94 RBIs as the Brewers won their fourth straight NL Central title.
In the Division Series against the San Diego Padres, Contreras hit .444 with a pair of solo homers, including a tiebreaking, seventh-inning drive in Game 1 and another homer in Game 3.
In the Championship Series, he batted .357 with one home run and three RBIs as Milwaukee swept the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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