ST. PETERSBURG -- In March, they celebrated in Florida with beer and champagne, drenching each other in jubilation. In October, they did the exact same thing again.
Seven months after becoming World Baseball Classic champions with Team Venezuela, Milwaukee’s Jackson Chourio, William Contreras and Antonio Senzatela pulled off a rare double, joining Alex Bregman and Luke Gregerson as the only players to win WBC and World Series titles in the same calendar year. Bregman and Gregerson did so for Team USA and the Astros in 2017.
Now, they have company.
“It’s amazing for everyone,” said Luis Pérez, the Brewers’ director of international scouting who played a significant role in signing Chourio.
In total, 30 players have won a WBC and a World Series over the 21 years that both tournaments have existed, yet most of them did so in different seasons. Bregman and Gregerson became the first to pull off a calendar double, before the Brewers’ three Venezuelans repeated the trick this season. Even within that list, Chourio stands out as the only player to appear in both the WBC championship game and the World Series, as neither Contreras nor Senzatela played in the Classic final.
“I’m very proud to be part of this moment, and how great this group is,” Chourio said on the field after the game. Then he went inside the clubhouse and began dancing, goggles affixed to his face to shield himself from the burn of champagne.
He and his Venezuelan teammates came to the organization in different ways. Chourio, 22, signed when he was 16 years old, rocketing up the farm system and debuting at age 20. His contributions to the Brewers’ title were manifold, including a .458 average in the World Series, with multiple hits in each of the first four games. In addition to joining Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and eight others as the only players to do that, Chourio’s 11 total hits fell one shy of Pepper Martin’s record of 12, set in 1931 (in seven games).
“I’ll be able to say someday when I’m very, very old that, hey, you know what, I know Jack Jack,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said, using his favored nickname for Chourio. “That’s a great thing to see these players come and mature and become believers in themselves and then make other people realize they’re one of the best in the game.”
Contreras, 28, spent eight years in the Braves’ organization before joining the Brewers in the three-team trade that sent Esteury Ruiz to the A’s. A successful player in a limited role in Atlanta, Contreras reached a new level in Milwaukee, earning National League MVP votes his first two seasons and making two All-Star Games in his first four. In the World Series, he garnered acclaim for his role in neutralizing Tampa Bay’s vaunted running game. He also impressed the world with his uncanny knack for ABS reversals.
For those efforts, as well as a .381 average and four RBIs in the final round of the playoffs, Contreras won World Series MVP.
“Very blessed year,” Contreras said. “I love this game. I love this sport. When I go out there, I give everything. I put my body on the line. I do whatever it takes to win because I love it. So yeah, I feel the support from the kids back in Venezuela. I see the messages. They tell me that they love me, that they support me, and that means a lot to me. All the people back in Venezuela mean a tremendous amount to me. So I’m very happy what I’m able to accomplish for them and hopefully inspire them.”
The last Venezuelan to join the proceedings was Senzatela, a 31-year-old veteran who spent his entire career in Colorado before coming to Milwaukee in a Trade Deadline deal. Although Senzatela didn’t distinguish himself in the regular season, he recorded some key outs in October, setting a career high in velocity (100.6 mph) en route to four appearances without an earned run. Brewers-type stuff.
Given all that, it’s easy to assume Milwaukee would not have won the World Series without contributions from its Venezuelan trio. That was precisely the sort of thing Pérez, the scout, envisioned when he watched Chourio attend his first big league Spring Training back in 2022 and thought to himself: “This guy is going to become a superstar.”
Now, Chourio is. Contreras is, too. As those two went inside to celebrate early Thursday morning, Contreras’ brother Willson -- himself a World Series champion with the Cubs in 2016 and a WBC winner with Venezuela this year -- put it all into perspective.
“I’m proud of all those Venezuelan players on the Brewers,” Willson said. “Our country has a reason to celebrate and be happy.”