Contreras named World Series MVP as Brewers win first title

Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras was named the 2026 World Series MVP on Wednesday night after the Brewers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 to win the first championship in franchise history.

Contreras is the eighth catcher to win the award, according to The Associated Press, as reported by TSN. He is also the first World Series MVP in Brewers history, USA Today reported.

The 28-year-old hit .381 with four RBIs over the five games, Yahoo Sports reported, citing the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. His double in the sixth inning of Game 5 helped put the game out of reach for Tampa Bay.

Contreras also left his mark behind the plate. He threw out four Rays baserunners in the series, and he went 10 for 14 on automated ball-strike system challenges, CBS Sports reported. Heavy reported that he was named MVP over teammates Cooper Pratt and Jackson Chourio.

Yahoo Sports reported that Contreras became emotional on the stage during the trophy presentation and said he had no words for how he was feeling.

The clincher capped a series the Brewers controlled from the start. They edged the Rays 3-2 in Game 1, which we reported on, then rallied past them 5-4 in Game 2 to take a 2-0 lead. They later routed the Rays 10-1 to move one win from the title, and finished it with the Game 5 win.

Search interest in Contreras spiked in Canada overnight, and his name was among the top trending searches in Google Trends Canada on Thursday morning, as fans looked up who had won the series MVP award.

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