Milwaukee Brewers

Team information

• Inaugural season: 1969
• Home ballpark: Miller Park, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Owner: Mark Attanasio
• Team colors: Navy blue, yellow, and royal blue

Overview

The Milwaukee Brewers are a Major League Baseball (MLB) team that plays in the National League (NL) Central division. The Brewers have had an unsettled existence since their formation in 1969. They began life as the Seattle Pilots, but soon went bankrupt and relocated to Milwaukee, Wisconsin just as the 1970 season was about to get underway. Since coming into the league, the team has resided in the American League (AL) West, East, and Central divisions before being moved to the NL in 1998. Milwaukee is one of six current MLB teams that have never won a World Series. The team’s only appearance in the Fall Classic occurred in 1982 when a power-hitting Brewers squad nicknamed “Harvey’s Wallbangers” lost a heartbreaking series to the St. Louis Cardinals. Since that World Series loss, the franchise struggled for most of the next three-plus decades, making just two playoff appearances from 1983 to 2018.

History

A professional baseball franchise named the Milwaukee Brewers was one of eight charter members of the AL when it formed in 1901. The team, named after the city’s famous beer industry, finished last in the AL and moved to St. Louis in 1902. Now known as the Browns, the franchise would remain in St. Louis until 1953 when it relocated to Baltimore and became the Orioles. A minor league team also named the Brewers played in Milwaukee from 1902 to 1952, but relocated in 1953 when the NL’s Boston Braves moved to Milwaukee. The Braves would later move to Atlanta in 1966.

In 1969, MLB was looking to expand by adding two teams to both the American and National Leagues. The two AL franchises were to be located in Kansas City, Missouri, and Seattle, Washington. The Seattle team, which was named the Pilots, was awarded to former minor league player and general manager Dewey Soriano. Soriano did not have the money needed to pay the franchise fee, so he had to seek funding from William Daley, the former owner of the Cleveland Indians. The Pilots’ inaugural season was a disaster, culminating in dismal attendance figures and a 64–98 record. After the season, Daley withdrew his investment from the team, throwing the franchise into bankruptcy.

As Soriano tried to sell the Pilots, he found a buyer in Milwaukee businessperson Bud Selig, who wanted to move the team to his hometown. With the franchise tied up in bankruptcy proceedings, the move was not officially approved until just six days before the start of the 1970 season. Selig, who had decided to revive the Brewers name, also wanted to adopt the former minor league club’s traditional navy and red colors. However, with no time to make a change, the Pilots’ uniforms were repurposed to say Brewers and the team kept Seattle’s blue and gold colors. Although the shades have changed over the years, the Brewers still use a variation of that color scheme.

For two seasons, the Brewers played as members of the AL West before being moved to the AL East in 1972. The switch did not help the team’s on-field fortunes, as Milwaukee finished well-below .500 from 1970 to 1977. The situation began to turn around in the late 1970s and early 1980s as the Brewers merged a core group of talented young players with experienced veterans. In 1981, Milwaukee made its first playoff appearance in the AL Division Series, losing to the New York Yankees.

With expectations running high, the Brewers began the 1982 season mired in a slump, prompting the team to change managers in early June. Now led by longtime bench coach Harvey Kuenn, Milwaukee stormed back over the season’s final four months to win the AL East title. The Brewers’ lineup featured three players who hit more than 30 home runs and four players who drove in more than 100 runs. Milwaukee finished the season with 216 home runs, which at the time was one of the highest totals in AL history. While the offense was powered by “Harvey’s Wallbangers,” the pitching staff was led by Pete Vuckovich, who won the AL Cy Young Award that season. After defeating the California Angels in the American League Championship Series (ALCS), Milwaukee advanced to the World Series to face the St. Louis Cardinals. The Brewers led the series 3–2 and held a 3–1 lead late in the deciding seventh game before the Cardinals rallied to claim the title.

For the next quarter century, the Brewers struggled to field a competitive team, finishing with a winning record just six times during that span. In 1994, MLB realigned its divisions, and the Brewers were moved to the newly formed AL Central. When Tampa Bay and Arizona joined the league in 1998, Milwaukee switched to the NL Central to maintain an even number of teams in both the AL and NL.

The Brewers finally broke their playoff drought in 2008 when they made the postseason as a wild card, although they lost in the opening round. Milwaukee won the NL Central in 2011 and moved into the National League Championship Series (NLCS), only to fall to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Brewers missed the playoffs for the next six seasons but rebounded in 2018 to win their third division title. They defeated the Colorado Rockies in the opening round of the playoffs, but came up short in the NLCS to the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2019, the Brewers lost in the NL Wild Card Game to the eventual World Series champion Washington Nationals. From 2020 to 2023, the Brewers made the playoffs three times, but failed to advance out of the first round. As of 2024, the Brewers are one of five teams that have never won a World Series title, joining the Rockies, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, and Tampa Bay Rays.

Notable players

Seven former players associated with the Milwaukee Brewers have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as of 2020. The most prominent of those was shortstop Robin Yount, widely considered to be the best player in franchise history. Yount played his entire career in Milwaukee from 1974 to 1993, winning the AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in both 1982 and 1989. Yount finished his career as the Brewers’ all-time leader in hits with 3,142, runs scored with 1,632, and runs batted in (RBIs) with 1,406. He is also second in franchise history with 251 home runs.

Infielder Paul Molitor was a teammate of Yount’s from 1978 to 1992 before moving on to play for the Toronto Blue Jays and Minnesota Twins. Molitor completed 2,281 of his 3,319 career hits with the Brewers, placing him second on the franchise list. He holds the team record for career stolen bases with 412 and is second in runs scored with 1,275. With the Blue Jays, Molitor was the MVP of the 1993 World Series and won the AL Manager of the Year award in 2017 as manager of the Twins. Hall of Fame relief pitcher Rollie Fingers spent the last four of his seventeen MLB seasons with Milwaukee from 1981 to 1985. In 1981, Fingers accomplished the rare feat of winning both the AL MVP and Cy Young awards.

Although not members of the Hall of Fame, first baseman Cecil Cooper and outfielders Ben Oglivie and Gorman Thomas provided much of the power for the Brewers in the early 1980s. Cooper was a five-time All-Star who played in Milwaukee from 1977 to 1987. He led the AL in RBIs in 1980 and 1983. Oglivie made three All-Star teams as a Brewer from 1978 to 1986 and led the AL in home runs with 41 in 1980. “Stormin’” Gorman Thomas was one of the AL’s most feared power hitters in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Thomas played for Milwaukee from 1973 to 1983 and twice led the AL in home runs with 45 in 1979 and 39 in 1982.

From 1971 to 1983, pitcher Jim Slaton won a franchise-record 117 games with the Brewers. Yovani Gallardo is the team’s all-time strikeout leader with 1,226 from 2007 to 2014. The Brewers’ franchise home run leader is third baseman/outfielder Ryan Braun, who made his MLB debut in 2007. As of 2020, Braun has 344 home runs, which includes an NL-leading 41 in 2012. A six-time All-Star, Braun was also named the NL MVP in 2011. A key member of the team’s success in the late 2010s was outfielder Christian Yelich, who was acquired by the Brewers in a 2018 trade. Yelich hit 36 home runs and drove in 110 runs to win the 2018 NL MVP Award in his first season in Milwaukee. In 2019, he hit 44 home runs and drove in 97 runs in an injury-shortened season.

Bibliography

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“The 50 Best Milwaukee Brewers Players of All Time (10–1).” Milwaukee Record, 26 Mar. 2020, milwaukeerecord.com/sports/the-50-best-milwaukee-brewers-players-of-all-time-10-1/. Accessed 18 May 2020.

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“Milwaukee Brewers Team History.” Sports Team History, 2020, sportsteamhistory.com/milwaukee-brewers. Accessed 18 May 2020.

“Milwaukee Brewers Team History & Encyclopedia.” Baseball Reference, 2024, www.baseball-reference.com/teams/MIL/. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.