William Contreras is the 2026 World Series MVP. The Milwaukee Brewers catcher was honored after Milwaukee beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 to win its first championship.

Contreras hit .381 in the series. He also guided the Brewers pitching staff and won 10 of his 13 challenges in the first World Series to use the Automated Ball-Strike system.

He had an RBI double in the sixth inning of the clincher to help put the game away.

Tears for his brother

Moments after he got the award, Contreras hugged his older brother Willson. The Boston Red Sox first baseman won a World Series with the Chicago Cubs in 2016.

"My brother's my best friend," William Contreras said through tears.

Pride for Venezuela

Contreras draped a Venezuelan flag over his shoulders on the field. He teared up again when asked about his home country. He was on the Venezuela team that won its first World Baseball Classic in March.

"It's history, history for my country," he said. "I love Venezuela. It's my country."

Rare company

Contreras is the eighth catcher to win World Series MVP. The others are Gene Tenace, Johnny Bench, Steve Yeager, Darrell Porter, Rick Dempsey, Pat Borders and Salvador Perez.

The 28-year-old is a three-time All-Star. He hit .270 with 18 home runs this season and set a career high with 94 RBIs.