MLB3 hours ago2 minute read

William Contreras Named World Series MVP In Historic Brewers Title Run

William Contreras won World Series MVP as the Milwaukee Brewers secured their first championship with a 4-1 Game 5 victory.

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Historic Performance Behind The Plate

William Contreras helped the Milwaukee Brewers earn their first World Series title on Wednesday night in St. Petersburg, Florida. Milwaukee clinched the championship with a 4-1 victory in Game 5.

Contreras became the eighth catcher in baseball history to win the World Series MVP award. The 28 year old batted .381 during the Series and hit an RBI double in the deciding game. He joins a list of catcher MVPs that includes Gene Tenace, Johnny Bench, Steve Yeager, Darrell Porter, Rick Dempsey, Pat Borders and Salvador Perez.

Mastering The Robot Umpire System

Contreras excelled with the automated ball-strike appeal system throughout the postseason. He won 10 of his 13 challenges during the World Series and converted 22 of 33 overall in the playoffs. In the regular season, he led the league with 185 challenges and 105 overturns while batting .270 with 18 home runs and 94 RBIs as Milwaukee won its fourth straight NL Central title.

His teammates also delivered key postseason performances. Rookie Cooper Pratt set a Series rookie record with six straight hits and tied a 1951 rookie mark with seven RBIs. Jackson Chourio added 11 hits, the most by any player in a five game World Series. Pitcher Jacob Misiorowski allowed just one run across 10⅔ innings, and reliever Aaron Ashby threw 5⅔ scoreless innings. Ashby praised Contreras, saying, "He posts every day. This team's not what it is without this guy. He's unbelievable."

Family And Country

Following the trophy presentation, Contreras embraced his older brother Willson Contreras, who won a World Series with the Chicago Cubs in 2016. "My brother's my best friend," William Contreras said.

He also celebrated his home country of Venezuela while wearing its flag on his shoulders. He was part of Venezuela's roster that won its first World Baseball Classic title in March. "It means everything because that's the first time Venezuela guys win the WBC," Contreras said. "It's history, history for my country. I love Venezuela. It's my country."

What it means for the next game

Tampa Bay Rays at Milwaukee Brewers (MLB, Sat, 31 Oct): Milwaukee Brewers win 62%, Tampa Bay Rays win 38%; projected score Milwaukee Brewers 5, Tampa Bay Rays 3. Our safest pick: Rays +3.5.

Tampa Bay Rays at Milwaukee Brewers (MLB, Sun, 01 Nov): Milwaukee Brewers win 62%, Tampa Bay Rays win 38%; projected score Milwaukee Brewers 5, Tampa Bay Rays 3. Our safest pick: Rays +3.5.