Since we are still 37 days away from pitchers and catchers reporting, I thought it would be fun to come up with an all-time Brewers roster. This is not a scientific or quantifiable matter, it is only my opinion. If I have left anybody off of this list, please let me know in the comments below.
First, I will go over what the roster will consist of. I figured that I could get away with a ten man pitching staff. The reason for this is because I could not get down to five outfielders, so I elected to go with six. Add in two catchers and seven infielders and you get to the final 25-man roster. I also have the 40-man roster filled up, and let me tell you, it has the makings of a pretty good AAA team.
Starting Pitchers
It was hard to come up with just five starters. I finally came up with a rotation of Yovanni Gallardo, Ben Sheets, Pete Vukovich, Teddy Higuera, and Moose Haas. Gallardo, Sheets, Higuera have the top three strikeout totals in Brewers history. Vukovich and Haas were instrumental in the Brewers’ playoff teams in 1981 and 1982.
Relief Pitchers
The bullpen has a number of good options. Bob McClure and Jerry Augustine are both good options for long relief, and they both have experience closing as well as starting. The seventh, eighth, and ninth would be held down by the trio of Dan Plesac, Francisco Rodriguez, and Rollie Fingers.
Catchers
This team has two very good signal callers in Ted Simmons and Jonathan Lucroy. Both are solid run producers with some power. Both of them are also very good at handling the pitchers.
Infielders
I decided to go with seven infielders, including a backup at first and short, and a utility player. Cecil Cooper and Prince Fielder will split time at first, even though both are left handed hitters. Robin Yount, Jean Segura, Paul Molitor, Jim Gantner, and Craig Counsell round out the infield.
Outfielders
The outfield is very crowded. I just could not get it down any further, and as long as the pitching holds up, I am going to keep six outfielders. My outfielders are Ryan Braun, Ben Oglive, Gorman Thomas, Carlos Gomez, Sixto Lezcano, and Charlie Moore.
Lineup
3B Paul Molitor
SS Robin Yount
LF Ryan Braun
CF Gorman Thomas
1B Cecil Cooper
C Jonathan Lucroy
RF Sixto Lezcano
2B Jim Gantner
P Starting Pitcher
Bench
Righties Lefties Switch Hitters
Jean Segura Prince Fielder Ted Simmons
Carlos Gomez Craig Counsell
Charlie Moore Ben Oglive
Rotation
Yovanni Gallardo
Ben Sheets
Pete Vukovich
Teddy Higuera
Moose Haas
Bullpen
Righties Lefties
Francisco Rodriguez Bob McClure
Rollie Fingers Jerry Augustine
Dan Plesac
The Brewers got off to a hot start, finishing April with a Major League best 20-8 record. They were 6.5 games in front of the second place Cardinals at the end of June. They got to the All-Star break in first place, 10 games over .500. Even though they finished July at 9-16, they still had the second best record in the National league and a 2 game lead over the Cardinals.
They finished August in a tie with the Cardinals for the division lead. On September 1, they were in second place after spending the previous 150 days in first place. The Brewers finished the season at 82-80, 8 games behind the Cardinals for the division crown and 6 games behind the Pirates for the second Wild Card spot.
The Brewers’ hot start surprised a lot of people. Most of the preseason predictions had the Brewers finishing fourth. In March, many Brewer fans would probably have been okay with a third place finish, staying in the hunt until the last couple weeks of the season. But when the team starts out so hot and stays in first for so long, it is extremely disappointing to miss the playoffs.
The Brewers sent 4 players to the All-Star Game, including 3 starters. Aramis Ramirez started at third base, Jonathan Lucroy started at catcher, and Carlos Gomez started in left field. Francisco Rodriguez worked around a walk in a scoreless 7th inning. Ramirez went 2-3 with a double and a run scored, and Lucroy went 2-2 with 2 doubles and 2 RBIs.
Speaking of Lucroy and doubles, he set a couple of records this season. With his 53 doubles (46 as a catcher, 6 as a first baseman, and 1 as a designated hitter), he became the first catcher to lead his league in doubles. He also broke the record for a primary catcher (47, I. Rodriguez, 1996) and tied the Brewers all-time record (53, Overbay, 2004), as well as breaking the record for doubles as a catcher (45, I. Rodriguez, 1996).
The Brewers fate was sealed with a 9 game losing streak starting on August 26. At the time, the Brewers were 73-58 with a 1.5 game lead over the Cardinals. At the end of the streak, they were 73-67 and 4 games behind the Cards. They ended up losing 22 of their final 31 games.
It is hard to pinpoint exactly where things went wrong. It seemed that the hitting, pitching, and defense all disappeared at the same time. The starting pitching picked back up, but the hitting and defense never did. Many are calling for Manager Ron Roenicke and General Manager Doug Melvin to be fired.
I don’t think that those firings would be the answer. Melvin has built a solid team that is capable of competing year in and year out. Roenicke has done a good job with the teams that he has had, in my opinion at least.
What the Brewers need is a vocal leader in the clubhouse. They have plenty of veterans and a good mix of youngsters, but they do not have the one guy that will get in people’s faces. Somebody like that has the ability to stop a losing streak before it hits 9 games. They hold the rest of the team accountable. Lucroy stated that the team got complacent. The Brewers needed a leader that won’t let that happen.
Roenicke is not that type of manager, but neither was Harvey Kuenn. The Brewers need somebody to fill the role that Prince Fielder did in 2008. Somebody who is not afraid of confrontation.
Whatever the reason, the Brewers had a great 20 weeks followed by a heartbreaking 6 weeks. There is a lot to build on, and they could be better than this year’s team. They just have to keep from having a month-long slump like they did last season in May and this season in September.
#1 – Last Out of the 1982 ALCS
My all time favorite memory of the Milwaukee Brewers is the last out of the 1982 American League Championship Series. In order to fully understand that moment, it is important to look at some moments that led up to this one.
After the 1980 season, the Brewers acquired Ted Simmons, Pete Vukovich, and Rollie Fingers from the St. Louis Cardinals. These players combined with Brewer mainstays Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, Jim Gantner, Gorman Thomas, and a host of others to secure the Brewers’ first postseason. They lost to the Yankees 3 games to 2, but the expectations had been set.
The 1982 season did not start out well. On June 2, they were tied for fifth place in the AL East, 7 games behind the Detroit Tigers with a 23-24 record. This is when the Brewers made a change and fired Buck Rodgers as manager, giving the job to Harvey Kuenn. Harvey’s Wallbangers were born and they stormed into first place by July 11.
At the end of August, the Brewers traded for Don Sutton. This would prove to be key at the end of the season. Just 3 days after that trade, closer Rollie Fingers tore a muscle in his arm and would be out for the rest of the season. Fingers’ absence would be critical in the World Series.
On October 1, the Brewers found themselves ahead of the second place Baltimore Orioles by 3 games with just 4 games left, all against the Orioles. They only needed to win one of the four to win their first divisional crown. They lost both games of a double header, 8-3 and 7-1. The next day, they lost again, 11-3. It was not looking good for the crew. They entered the last game of the season tied for first. Whoever won this game would go on to face the California Angels in the America League Championship Series.
Yount hit 2 home runs to help the Brewers to a 3-0 lead and Don Sutton pitched 8 innings, giving up 2 only runs and leaving the game with a 5-2 lead. The Brewers would score 5 more in the 9th and won 10-2. The Brewers were going to the ALCS!
The Brewers went to California and dropped the first two games, 8-3 and 4-2. They came back to Milwaukee with the knowledge that no team has ever come back from being down 2-0 and won a 5 game series. That did not seem to bother them as they won games 3 and 4, bringing up game 5 for all the marbles.
The Angels struck first with a run in the top of the first that was matched by a Brewer run in the bottom of the first. The Angels scored a run in the third and another in the fourth. Ben Oglivie hit a home run to cut the Angels lead to 3-2. With two outs in the bottom of the 7th, Cecil Cooper hit a flair that dropped with the bases loaded, scoring Charlie Moore and Jim Gantner. Brewers lead 4-3!
Bob McClure pitched a scoreless 8th and came out for the 9th with a one run lead. He gave up a single, prompting Kuenn to bring in Pete Ladd to finish the game. After a sacrifice and another ground out, there was a runner on second, 2 outs, and one of the best hitters in the game in Rod Carew coming up. Carew hit a hard ground ball to Yount at shortstop. Yount gobbled it up and threw on to Cooper at first. Cooper caught the ball and leaped in the air. The Brewers were going to the World Series!
The Brewers ended up losing to the Cardinals in 7 games. Perhaps if Fingers was available, things would have turned out differently and I would have had a different number one memory. As it stands, the final out that got them to the World Series is definitely my favorite moment in Brewer history.
#2 – Easter Sunday 1987
My second favorite moment in Brewers history occurred on Easter Sunday, April 19, 1987. I was at my Grandma’s house in Marshall, WI, so I was not able to go to the game. I had already been to Opening Day on April 6 and the first game of this series on April 17. The Brewers had won every game up to this point, starting 11-0, and I got to see the first and tenth.
My Grandma did not have a radio in her house and the game was not broadcast on TV. For the younger readers, this was a time before the internet. There was no way to stream the game live. Either you listened to it on the radio or you read about it in the paper. The next day. So we went out to one of my uncle’s cars and listened to the car radio.
It was a gorgeous day, about 75 degrees and sunny. All of us kids were running around the front yard, playing and listening to the game. It was not looking good for the Brewers. The Rangers had a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the 9th inning. But the fans at the game had not given up, and neither had we. This team had some magic in them.
Glenn Braggs opened the inning with a walk and went to second on a base hit by Greg Brock. Cecil Cooper flew out to center field for the first out. That brought up Rob Deer, the Brewers’ power hitter. The Rangers brought in a new pitcher to face Deer. He took a mighty swing on the first pitch, but missed. Deer did not miss the second pitch. He drove it over the fence and nearly over the bleachers. Rob Deer just tied the game with a 3-run home run!
Getty Images
B.J. Surhoff came up next and struck out for the second out. Jim Gantner drew a walk after working the count full, bringing up Dale Sveum. Sveum also worked the count full. Sveum hit the next pitch into the bullpen in right-center field for a 2-run home run giving the Brewers a 6-4 win! Twelve straight wins to start the season!
Getty Images
Thus started what would be known as Team Streak. They won there next game before finally losing, giving them 13 wins to open the season. They then went on a 12 game losing streak on May, taking their recored from 20-3 down to 20-15. And finally, Paul Molitor got a hit in 39 straight games from June 27 through August 25.
#3 – Two Out in the Bottom of the Ninth
My third favorite moment in Brewers history happened on June 27, 2007. I was at Miller Park, celebrating my birthday, spending time with family, and watching the Brewers take on the Houston Astros. It had been a couple of years since I was in Wisconsin during the baseball season, so I was enjoying the game. It was also my daughter’s first Brewer game, which just added to the excitement for me.
Scott Paulus/Milwaukee Brewers Photos
The Brewers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second when Prince Fielder, Bill Hall, and Damien Miller all doubled. The Astros tied it up with a run in the third and another in the fourth. Milwaukee took the lead with a run in the fifth, but Lance Berkman tied it up again with a home run in the sixth.
The game would remain tied at 3 after 9 innings, which meant that we were going to extra innings! I love baseball, so more baseball was good for me. The rest of the party was starting to get a little bit tired, but most of them they stuck with it. My 3-year old daughter and her 4 year old cousin fell asleep in the 9th, but the rest of us were still watching.
In the 11th inning, Damien Miller came to bat with Bill Hall on second and Geoff Jenkins on first and one out. Miller sent the ball to left-center field, clearing the wall for a game winning three-run home run.
Morry Gash, AP
The Brewers started their 2014 season at Miller Park against the Atlanta Braves. They beat the Braves 2-0 on Opening Day. However, between Ryan Braun still battling his thumb injury and the offense getting off to a rough start, the Brewers dropped the last two games of the series. The Crew then went to Fenway Park in Boston and swept the defending champion Red Sox as their hitting game caught up to the fantastic job the pitchers have been doing.
The Brewers opened the season at Miller Park with a pitcher’s duel against the Braves. Yovanni Gallardo pitched six shutout innings, striking out 4 and walking 2 . Brandon Kintzler, Will Smith and Francisco Rodriguez each threw a scoreless inning. Aramis Ramirez hit a two-run double in the 4th inning that scored Jean Segura and Ryan Braun. Those runs would prove to be the difference as the Brewers won 2-0…
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#4 – Nieves No-Hitter
My fourth favorite moment in Brewers history is Juan Nieves’ no-hitter in 1987. The 1987 Brewers were an exciting team deserving of the nickname, “Team Streak.” They came into the game on April 15 with an 8-0 record. They would finish the game as winners of their first 9 games of the season.
At this time, the only games that were televised in Milwaukee were road games, and even then, not all of them were shown. This one happened to be one that was on TV.
Nieves did not have good stuff that day, as he called his fastball mediocre and his slider awful. He walked five batters and needed several spectacular plays to keep from giving up a hit. Eddie Murray had 2 base hits robbed from him. Jim Paciorek made a diving catch in left field in the second inning. And who could forget Robin Yount making this diving catch in center field for the final out off the bat of Murray?
That set off one of many celebrations for the 1987 Brewers.
Juan Nieves is still the only Brewer to have thrown a no-hitter and I still remember the thrill of watching Yount ending the game with his diving catch.
#5 2011 Division Clincher
On September 23, 2011, the Brewers needed a win and a Cardinals loss in order to clinch the division crown. The Brewers faced the Florida Marlins at Miller Park in Milwaukee. Three years earlier, Ryan Braun hit a 2-run home run that clinched the Wild Card spot, their first playoff appearance since 1982. In 2011, he would hit a 3-run home run that propelled them to their first division crown since 1982, as the Cubs and Cardinals game ended 20 minutes after the Brewer game with the Cubs winning 5-1.
AP
I still remember jumping up and down in my living room (I live in Florida now, so I couldn’t get to Milwaukee for the game) after Braun hit his 8th inning home run. John Axford came in to pitch a perfect 9th inning, sealing the victory. When Bryan Peterson struck out swinging for the last out, the Brewers celebrated on the field and in the clubhouse. The fans stayed to watch the end of the Cubs-Cardinals game on the scoreboard. When the Cubs won, the players came back out on to the field to join the celebration.
Benny Sieu
The Brewers beat the Arizona in the Divisional Series 3 games to 2. That set up the National League Championship series against the Cardinals, a rematch of the 1982 World Series. The Cardinals ended the Brewers season with a 4 games to 2 series win, then went on to beat the Texas Rangers in the World Series, 4 games to 3.
Even though they did not get to the World Series, the division clinching game was exciting and it will always be one of my favorite Brewers moment.
The World Series starts tonight at 8pm EST at Fenway Park in Boston. The Boston Red Sox will battle the St. Louis Cardinals in a best of seven series to determine this year’s champion. Both teams come into this series with a rich history and identical , Major League leading 97-65 records. This will be a rematch of the 2004 series that saw Boston winning their first World Series since 1918 by sweeping the Cardinals.
The Red Sox and Cardinals have combined for 31 appearances and 18 World Series titles. They have played each other in the Series 3 times, with the Cardinals winning in 7 games in 1946 and 1967 and the Red Sox sweeping the Cards in 2004. These two teams have made it to the World Series 5 times between 2004 and 2012. The only time either of these teams did not win when they were in the Series was when the Cardinals lost to the Red Sox. This year will mark the fifth time in the last 10 years that either the Cardinals or Red Sox have won the World Series.
The Red Sox won the first ever World Series in 1903. They won all five of their appearances between 1903 and 1918. Then came the Curse of the Bambino. They only made it to the World Series 4 times between 1919 and 2003, losing them all. They finally broke the curse in 2004 and won it all again in 2007.
The Cardinals are making their 19th appearance, tying the Giants for the most in the National League. They won their first World Series in 1926. They have won twice (2006, 2011) since losing to the Red Sox in 2004.
The Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays in the Divisional round, 3 games to 1. Then they struggled mightily in the first game and a half against the Detroit Tigers. They managed only a ninth inning single, losing 1-0. In game 2, they were down 5-1 in the bottom of the 8th when David Ortiz came through with a grand slam to tie the game and won it in the 9th when Jonny Gomes scored on a base hit by Jarrod Saltalamacchia. The Red Sox won 3 of the next 4 to make it to the World Series for the 3rd time in 10 years.
The Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates went to the full five games in the Divisional round, with the Cardinals winning game 5, 6-1. Then they were up 3 games to 1 against the Los Angelos Dodgers. Most teams would be comfortable with this lead, but the Cardinals gave up that lead against the San Francisco Giants last year in the Championsip Series. When the Dodgers won game 5, Cardinal fans started getting nervous. This year’s Cardinals were not going to let history repeat itself, scoring 4 in the third and 5 in the fifth for a 9-0 game 6 win.
Adam Wainwright brings his 19-9 regular season record into game 1 for the Cardinals. The Red Sox have Jon Lester, who went 15-8 in the regular season, as their starting pitcher.
I made playoff predictions before the season and made some adjustments at the All-Star break. Some of my picks were not too bad, and some were terrible. Here is my preseason playoff tree:
And here is my All-Star break update:
This is how it stands after the games on 10/16:
I had Detroit in the ALCS my preseason prediction, and I had the Detroit-Oakland ALDS going to 5 games, but I picked the wrong winner in my All-Star update. Other than that, I was way off.
I am very happy with how this postseason is going. There have been a lot of exciting games, great plays, great pitching, and timely hitting. The final four teams are all teams with rich heritage. I respect every one of them and I cannot choose which one to root for. This is going to be a fun World Series.
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