Miami (AFP) – Milwaukee’s veteran catcher William Contreras was named World Series Most Valuable Player on Wednesday after excelling at the plate and behind it in the Brewers’ triumph over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Contreras, who became the third Venezuelan to earn World Series MVP honors, hit .382 with four runs-batted-in as the Brewers beat the Rays four games to one in Major League Baseball’s best-of-seven championship series. That included a run-scoring double in the sixth inning of the Brewers’ 4-1 game-five victory, which clinched the first World Series title in Milwaukee’s history.
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The 28-year-old also caught four Rays stealing, two of them in game one. He confidently shepherded a Brewers pitching staff that stifled the Rays lineup and showed a mastery of the Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System.
“I’m very proud. I don’t even know what to say,” an emotional Contreras said as he received the award. “I have no words to describe what I feel. I just want to thank my teammates. I love this game.”
The player nicknamed “Wild Bill” established himself as a Major League star 10 years after his elder brother, Willson Contreras, earned a World Series title with the Chicago Cubs. “My brother is my best friend,” said Contreras, who shared an embrace with Willson moments after he was named MVP.
He joined Pablo Sandoval and Salvador Perez as the third Venezuelan to earn MVP honors. Sandoval did it with the San Francisco Giants in 2012 and Perez with the Kansas City Royals in 2015.
He celebrated the championship alongside Brewers teammate Jackson Chourio after the two teamed to help Venezuela win its first World Baseball Classic with a final victory over the United States in March.
© 2024 AFP
