Milwaukee Brewers: Trip to American Family Field

 The Crew once again clinched the National League Central Title, guaranteeing  #3 spot in 2023 playoffs, even though the Cardinals beat them earlier that day. The Milwaukee Brewers (nicknamed “Crew”) won the title by default because the Cubs lost to the Braves (6-7). Qualifying for playoffs at end of 162-game season means every game counts if you factor in the calculations of positioning. The good part of this particular scenario is that Phillies clinched wild card on same day with a win against Pittsburgh Pirates. With Cubs losing hours later against Braves, the Phils have #4 spot in playoffs secured. Yay!

All this news makes me nostalgic about my trip to the American Family Field,  ballpark of the Milwaukee Brewers. When I went in August 2014 to Miller Park (former name of the ballpark, located in  Milwaukee, Wisconsin),  the Brewers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates (4 - 3) that day. Ryan Braun was in the lineup. Mike Fiers, called up from Triple-A,  was  the winning pitcher, his fourth straight start. He  held Pirates to two hits in seven innings. 

The ballpark has a fan-shaped retractable roof. The grounds have statues to legendary players Robin Yount (Shortstop), Hank Aaron (Designated Hitter) as well as the Hall of Fame radio broadcaster Bob Uecker.  The Milwaukee stadium honors the Milwaukee Brewers and the Milwaukee Braves. Brewers have a number of former or active great baseball players, like Christian Yelich (outfield), Ryan Braun (left fielder), and Prince Fielder (1B). The Crew seems to routinely get into the playoffs, but tend to get eliminated by the eventual World Series winner (eg Cardinals in 2011, Nationals in 2019, Braves in 2021).  That must be tough, but as a fan of the 2008 Phillies team that beat the Crew in the 2008 NLDS, I do not feel that much guilt.

The Milwaukee Brewers were so named for the city’s association with the brewing industry. The franchise was originally founded as the Seattle Pilots, an expansion team in the American League, but they left Seattle for Milwaukee after 1 season. The team has been called the Brewers since 1970.  In 1998, they joined the National League. The Brewers appeared in the World Series only once in 1982. This team is one of only 6 current MLB teams (Rangers, Rays, Padres, Mariners, Rockies, Brewers) that have never won the World Series. 4 of the 6 have a chance to win  it all in 2023, as long as they qualify and get through October.