William Contreras won World Series MVP as the Milwaukee Brewers secured their first championship in franchise history on October 28, 2026, defeating the Tampa Bay Rays four games to one. Contreras, alongside teammate Jackson Chourio, capped a historic year by adding a Major League Baseball title to their World Baseball Classic victory with Venezuela earlier in the season.
Milwaukee Secures First World Series Title Against Tampa Bay
The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, capturing the first World Series title in the franchise’s history. Milwaukee entered the postseason after finishing the regular season with a 103-59 record, the best mark in Major League Baseball. After sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers in the League Championship Series, the Brewers carried that momentum into the Fall Classic.
Tampa Bay avoided a series sweep with a victory in extra innings in Game 4, leaving the Rays as one of four franchises—alongside the San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies, and Seattle Mariners—without a championship title. But Milwaukee closed out the series the following night. Manager Pat Murphy praised catcher William Contreras, describing the team’s engine in colorful terms during the celebration.
William Contreras Secures World Series MVP Honors
William Contreras earned the World Series MVP award after hitting .381 with four runs batted in across the five games. Behind the plate, Contreras challenged 13 umpire decisions using Major League Baseball’s newly introduced automated ball-strike system, successfully overturning 10 of them. He also neutralized Tampa Bay’s running game.
According to OptaSTATS data, Contreras became the first catcher since Bill Dickey of the New York Yankees in 1938 to steal a base and throw out an opposing team’s leading base stealer in a World Series victory.
William Contreras stole a base & caught 3 attempted base stealers, including AL leader Chandler Simpson, in the World Series.The only other catcher to steal a base & catch the opposing league’s leading base stealer in a World Series where his team won was Bill Dickey in 1938. pic.twitter.com/EeiNpwxgT7
Jackson Chourio Matches Babe Ruth and Sets Postseason Records
At just 22 years old, Jackson Chourio put together a legendary postseason performance that culminated in multiple historical milestones. During the World Series, the young outfielder collected 11 hits and batted .458, tying a record set by Babe Ruth in 1928 for the most hits through the first four games of a Fall Classic.
Chourio also drew statistical comparisons to Baseball Hall of Famer Lou Brock for his combination of hits and stolen bases over a four-game World Series span, though Brock achieved his mark in a postseason that his team did not win. Chourio’s hit in Game 5 made him the youngest player in baseball history to record the most consecutive games with a hit in the World Series, surpassing previous marks set by Dib Williams, Lloyd Waner, and Jimmy Serbring.
Venezuelan Core Completes a Double-Championship Year
The victory sealed an extraordinary year for Venezuelan baseball participants. William Contreras, Jackson Chourio, and pitcher Antonio Senzatela joined an elite cohort by winning both the World Baseball Classic in March and a World Series title in the same calendar year. Only Alex Bregman and Luke Gregerson had previously accomplished the dual feat, doing so with the United States and the Houston Astros in 2017.
Reflecting on his historic year, Chourio noted the unique emotional resonance of representing his home country alongside winning a major league championship.
Other Venezuelan contributors included relief pitcher Antonio Senzatela, and coach Néstor Corredor. Relief pitcher Ángel Zerpa also earned a championship ring despite spending most of the season on the injured list.
