Brewers’ Contreras Joins Elite Catchers as World Series MVP

WHO:

ESPN - William Contreras, a 28-year-old Milwaukee Brewers catcher and three-time All-Star, was voted World Series MVP.

ESPN - Willson Contreras, William’s 34-year-old brother and a Boston Red Sox first baseman, attended the celebration. Willson was a 2016 World Series champion with the Chicago Cubs.

ESPN - Brewers manager Pat Murphy called William “our pit bull” and said, “There was no doubt in my mind” he would be MVP.

Boston.com - Willson Contreras was on hand to celebrate his younger brother William’s MVP.

Sportskeeda - New York Yankees catching legend Jorge Posada praised Brewers catcher William Contreras for his work behind the plate.

WHAT:

MLB.com - Milwaukee finished with 11 wins in 13 postseason games.

MLB.com - Contreras hit .373 with a 1.036 OPS, six multi-hit games and 19 hits across the postseason.

MLB.com - In Game 3 of the NLCS, Jake Bauers hit a go-ahead two-run homer after an 11-pitch at-bat against Blake Snell; two days earlier, he drew a walk after a 12-pitch at-bat against Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

MLB.com - Brice Turang finished the postseason with a .404 on-base percentage and .817 OPS; his two-run single started Milwaukee’s eight-run fifth inning in World Series Game 3.

MLB.com - Cooper Pratt hit a go-ahead homer in the 12th inning of World Series Game 4, the first extra-inning World Series homer by a rookie. He became the 14th player in MLB history to record at least eight World Series hits at age 22 or younger.

MLB.com - Jackson Chourio became the youngest player to have a four-hit World Series game since Joe Garagiola in 1946. His 10 hits through the first four games were the most since Babe Ruth; he finished the postseason with 17 hits and nine RBIs.

MLB.com - Robert Gasser allowed one run in 15 innings across three road postseason starts.

MLB.com - Contreras was disappointed that his statistics were not better and that he had not won a Gold Glove, Pat Murphy said.

MLB.com - William Contreras was named to MLB.com’s 2026 All-Postseason Team; he hit .373 with a 1.036 OPS, six multi-hit games and 19 hits, the most in the postseason.

MLB.com - Aaron Ashby pitched 18 scoreless postseason innings, surpassing Andrew Miller’s record for the longest scoreless streak by a reliever in one postseason, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

ESPN - Contreras became the eighth catcher to win World Series MVP, joining Gene Tenace, Johnny Bench, Steve Yeager, Darrell Porter, Rick Dempsey, Pat Borders and Salvador Perez. Yeager shared the award in 1981.

ESPN - Contreras batted .381 in the World Series, guided Milwaukee’s pitching staff, threw out four attempted base stealers and won 10 of 13 appeals using the automated ball-strike system. He hit a run-scoring double in the Brewers’ 4-1 championship-clinching Game 5 win.

ESPN - Milwaukee won its first World Series championship. Contreras said, “Today I feel like I’m the best catcher in the world,” adding that he did not mean disrespect to other catchers.

ESPN - Contreras batted .444 in the NLDS against San Diego, with two solo home runs, and .357 with one homer and three RBIs in the NLCS sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

ESPN - During the regular season, Contreras batted .270 with 18 home runs and a career-best 94 RBIs as Milwaukee won its fourth consecutive NL Central title.

ESPN - Contreras led MLB with 185 regular-season challenges and 105 overturns; in the postseason, he won 22 of 33 challenges. He said, “It’s not magic,” crediting his experience playing every day.

ESPN - Cooper Pratt recorded six consecutive World Series hits, a rookie record, and seven RBIs, tying Gil McDougald’s 1951 rookie mark. Jackson Chourio went 11-for-24 (.458), the most hits by a player in a five-game World Series. Jacob Misiorowski went 2-0 and allowed one run in 10⅔ innings; Aaron Ashby pitched 5⅔ scoreless innings, earned a save and struck out nine.

ESPN - Contreras said his brother Willson was his role model and friend: “If I have something to ask somebody, I ask Willson.”

ESPN - Contreras said Venezuela’s World Baseball Classic and World Series wins were “history” for his country. He had gone 0-for-13 with no RBIs in Venezuela’s World Baseball Classic victory.

ESPN - Contreras, Chourio and Antonio Senzatela joined Alex Bregman and Luke Gregerson of the 2017 Houston Astros as players who won both the World Baseball Classic and World Series in the same year.

WHERE:

ESPN - Contreras spoke after the award ceremony in St. Petersburg, Florida, with Venezuela’s flag draped around him.

ESPN - The Brewers’ championship-clinching game was played against the San Diego Padres’ World Series opponent, whose opponent is not identified in the article.

WHY:

ESPN - Murphy said Contreras earned the award because people recognized what he had done for the Brewers.

ESPN - Contreras attributed his success challenging ball-and-strike calls to experience from playing every day.

HOW:

ESPN - The World Series was the first to use the automated ball-strike system, through which Contreras won 10 of 13 appeals.

ESPN - Contreras celebrated by embracing his brother after receiving the MVP trophy.

Milwaukee captured its first World Series title, defeating its opponent in five games. Catcher William Contreras earned MVP honors, batting .381 and guiding Milwaukee’s pitching staff. His brother Willson joined the celebration as the Brewers completed a historic postseason run.