ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — With the flag of Venezuela draped around him, smiling broadly and filled with pride, William Contreras was ready to brag.
“I don’t want to offend any of the other receivers in the league. The last thing I want to do is offend any of them,” he said, speaking through an interpreter. “But sitting here today, a world champion, I feel like I’m the best receiver in the league. Again, that’s no disrespect to any of them. That’s the last thing I want to do. But today I feel like I’m the best receiver in the world.”
Contreras became the eighth catcher to be voted World Series MVP after leading the Milwaukee Brewers to their first World Series championship.
Leading the small-market Brewers, the 28-year-old hit .381 while guiding his pitching staff, throwing down four stolen base attempts and winning 10 of 13 calls in the first series with the Ball-Strike automated challenge system. He had a double in Milwaukee’s 4-1 Game 5 victory Wednesday night.
“He’s our pit bull. You don’t just walk up and pet him. There’s a chance you’ll get bit,” manager Pat Murphy said.
Moments after receiving the MVP trophy, Contreras embraced his 34-year-old brother, Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras, a World Series champion with the 2016 Chicago Cubs.
“My brother is my role model. I don’t have a lot of friends. He’s my friend,” William Contreras said. “If I have anything to ask anyone, I ask Willson.”
William broke down in tears when asked about Venezuela, his home country. Contreras was part of the Venezuela team that won its first World Baseball Classic in March, even though he was 0-for-13 with no RBIs.
He and teammates Jackson Chourio and Antonio Senzatela joined Americans Alex Bregman and Luke Gregerson of the 2017 Houston Astros to win the WBC and World Series in the same year.
“It means everything because it’s the first time the Venezuelans have won the WBC and the World Series,” William Contreras said. “It’s history, the history of my country. I love Venezuela. It’s my country.”
He joined 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 receivers to win the award.
A three-time All-Star, Contreras hit .270 with 18 homers and a career-high 94 RBIs as the Brewers won their fourth straight NL Central title.
“Think about what he’s accomplished, and he’s disappointed his numbers aren’t better,” Murphy said. “He’s disappointed he’s not Gold Glove.”
Contreras has been best at taking advantage of baseball’s new robot umpires, leading Major League Baseball with 185 challenges and 105 overthrows during the regular season. He has won 22 of 33 in the postseason.
“It’s not magic,” Contreras said. “I think it’s the experience of playing every day throughout the season.”
He hit .444 with two solo homers in the Division Series against San Diego, hitting a seventh-inning tiebreaker in Game 1 and another homer in Game 3. He hit .357 with a homer and three RBIs in the Championship Series sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Milwaukee had several worthy MVP candidates.
Cooper Pratt set a Series rookie record with six consecutive hits and tied Gil McDougald’s 1951 rookie mark with seven RBIs, including hits in the final three games. Jackson Chourio went 11 for 24 (.458), the most hits by a player in a five-game World Series. Ace Jacob Misiorowski was 2-0 and allowed one run in 10 2/3 innings, and reliever Aaron Ashby pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings with one save and nine strikeouts.
“I told him before the game: You’re going to be the World Series MVP,” Murphy said of Contreras. “People recognized what this kid did for us. There was no doubt in my mind. Yeah, he’s special.”
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