Milwaukee's William Contreras wins World Series MVP with .381 average, 10 ABS overturns

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — William Contreras became the eighth catcher voted the World Series MVP after lifting the Milwaukee Brewers to their first World Series championship.

The heart and soul of the small-market Brewers, Contreras batted .381 while guiding Milwaukee's pitching staff and capitalizing on the first Series with the Automated Ball-Strike challenge system by winning 10 of 13 appeals. He had an RBI double during Milwaukee's clinching 4-1 victory in Game 5 on Wednesday night.

“He posts every day," reliever Aaron Ashby said. "This team’s not what it is without this guy. He’s unbelievable.”

Moments after being awarded MVP, Contreras embraced his older brother, Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras, who won a World Series with the Chicago Cubs in 2016.

“My brother’s my best friend,” William Contreras said through tears.

He teared up again when asked about Venezuela, his home country. Contreras was on Venezuela’s team that won its first World Baseball Classic in March, though he was 0 for 13 with no RBIs. He draped a Venezuelan flag over his shoulders while celebrating on the field Wednesday.

He and teammates Jackson Chourio and Antonio Senzatela joined Alex Bregman and Luke Gregerson (Team USA/Houston Astros in 2017) as the only players to win the WBC and World Series in the same year.

“It means everything because that’s the first time Venezuela guys win the WBC and the World Series," he said. "It’s history, history for my country. I love Venezuela. It’s my country.”

He joins 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 catchers to win the award.

A three-time All-Star, the 28-year-old Contreras batted .270 with 18 homers and a career-best 94 RBIs as the Brewers won their fourth straight NL Central title.

He leveraged baseball's new robot umpire challenge system better than anyone, leading MLB with 185 challenges and 105 overturns during the regular season. He was right on 10 of 13 challenges in the World Series and 22 of 33 overall in the postseason.

He hit .444 with a pair of solo homers in the Division Series against San Diego, hitting a tiebreaking, seventh-inning drive in Game 1 and another homer in Game 3. He batted .357 with one homer and three RBIs in the Championship Series sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Milwaukee had several worthy candidates for MVP. Cooper Pratt set a Series rookie record with six straight hits and tied Gil McDougald's rookie mark from 1951 with seven RBIs, including go-ahead hits in the final three games. Jackson Chourio had 11 hits, the most by a player in a five-game World Series. Ace Jacob Misiorowski allowed just one run in 10 2/3 innings, and reliever Aaron Ashby pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings with a save and nine strikeouts.

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Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras celebrates with manager Pat Murphy after their win against the Tampa Bay Rays in baseball's World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras celebrates his RBI double during the sixth inning of Game 5 of baseball's World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla., between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras celebrates with manager Pat Murphy after their win against the Tampa Bay Rays in baseball's World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras holds the MVP trophy after they won baseball's World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Milwaukee Brewers' William Contreras celebrates after scoring during the sixth inning of Game 5 of baseball's World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla., between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras celebrates scoring on a sacrifice fly by Cooper Platt during the sixth inning of Game 5 of baseball's World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla., between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras celebrates after winning baseball's World Series, against the Tampa Bay Rays, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Quentin Grimes scored 23 points, Collin Sexton added a season-high 21 points off the bench, and the Los Angeles Lakers — without Luka Doncic — beat the Los Angeles Clippers 103-87 on Wednesday night for the second time in a week.

Doncic sat out with back tightness from the second game of the team’s first back-to-back of the season. Starting forward Ziaire Williams missed the game with a sore left foot. Coach JJ Redick said both moves were precautionary.

Without Doncic's NBA-leading 36-point average, the Lakers (4-1) had six players in double figures. Austin Reaves had 16 points and Matisse Thybulle had 15. Sexton and Thybulle had four 3-pointers each.

Rookie Keaton Wagler scored a career-high 21 points off the bench to lead the Clippers (1-3). They dropped their third in a row, having lost to the Lakers by eight points on Friday. They were without starting forward Rui Hachimura (left quad tightness) against his former team.

The Clippers again failed to hold onto the ball with 24 turnovers. They had 26 in each of their last two games, both losses to the Thunder and Lakers.

Down 18 points, the Clippers briefly rallied to open the third, outscoring the Lakers 12-2 to pull within seven. But the Lakers closed the quarter on a 27-15 spurt, with Sexton reeling off 11 consecutive points including back-to-back 3-pointers for an 85-65 lead.

The Lakers took control in the second quarter, outscoring the Clippers 31-6, including 16 points in a row, to take a 56-38 halftime lead. Six different players scored for the Lakers, led by Reaves with nine.

Lakers: At Golden State on Friday night to open NBA Cup group play.

Clippers: At Minnesota on Friday night to open NBA Cup group play.

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Los Angeles Clippers center Brook Lopez, right, tries to pass while under pressure from Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers forward Sandro Mamukelashvili, left, celebrates with center Walker Kessler after scoring during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Clippers guard Cam Christie, right, dribbles as Los Angeles Lakers guard Collin Sexton defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Clippers guard Keaton Wagler, left, and Los Angeles Lakers guard Quentin Grimes go after a loose ball during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)