Milwaukee Brewers (1970-Present)

Historical Moments:
1901-1969: A separate Franchise named the Milwaukee Brewers is one of the American League's 8 charter teams. Before the first season even began plans were being made to move the team, and after just one season it moves to St. Louis. Milwaukee would become a popular minor league city with a team also called the Brewers, before the Braves moved there from Boston in 1953. However after 13 seasons the Braves would move to Atlanta leaving Milwaukee without a team again. In 1969 the American League expanded adding the Kansas City Royals and Seattle Pilots. Seattle had many problems and was clearly not ready to host a Major League team so after just 1 season the team was on the move and it would end up in the same city that 68 years earlier lost a team after only 1 season.

1970: The team enters Spring Training still in limbo as the Seattle Pilots, and it is not until the end of Spring Training that the team finally gets the go ahead to sell to an ownership group headed by Bud Selig, and move to Milwaukee. When the Brewers first take the field at Milwaukee County Stadium on April 7th they are greeted by 37,237 fans. However, those fans would go home disappointed after the Brewers are routed by the California Angels 12 -0. The rest of the season would not go much better as the Brewers finished in 4th place in the AL West with a 65-97 record.

1971: In their 2nd season in Milwaukee the Brewers sink to last place posting a record of 69-92.

1972: With the Washington Senators moving to Texas, the Brewers change division from the AL West to the AL East. The Brewers don't perform much better in the east finishing in last with a 65-91 record.

1973: The Brewers home opener is delayed four days after a 13-inch snowstorm blankets the city. Jim Colborn becomes the Brewers first 20-game winner despite the Brewers still struggling with a 5th place 74-88 record.

1974: At the age of 18 Robin Yount makes the team as the starting SS on Opening Day. Yount would go on to hit a respectable .250 in his first year, as finished in 5th Place with a 76-86 record.

1975: On April 11th 48,160 to see one time Milwaukee Braves hero and all time HR King Hank Aaron return to Milwaukee. In his first season as Designated Hitter with Brewers Aaron breaks another of Babe Ruth's record, this time it is the all-time RBI mark. Even with Hammerin' Hank the Brewers still struggle finishing 5th with a 68-94 record.

1976: On July 20th Hank Aaron hits the 755th and final HR of his career. As Hammerin' Hank was playing in his final games the Brewers struggled and finished in last pace with a record of 66-95.

1977: The Brewers avoid last place, only because an expansion team is added to their division as they finish in 6th place with a record of 67-95.

1978: Under new manager George Bamberger, the Brewer enjoy the first winning season in franchise history. The Brewers would finish 3rd in a tough AL East with a solid 93-69 record

1979: With Gorman Thomas winning the AL Home Run Crown with 45 Round Trippers, the Brewers continue to improve finishing in 2nd Place with a franchise best 95-66 record.

1980: The Brewers top the Majors with 203 homers, 774 runs, 2,535 total bases and a .448 slugging percentage, all setting franchise records. However, the team only manages to finish 3rd with an 86-76 record.

1981: To improve the team the Brewers acquire legendary reliever Rollie Fingers to help bolster the bullpen. Trough June 15th the Brewers were in position to contend for the AL East, but were frozen in 3rd when the player's strike hit. When the season resumed the Brewers would take full advantage of the split season format putting together a solid 31-22 record to capture the 2nd half title of the AL East. The Fingers acquisition would prove key, as he becomes the first relief pitcher in Major League history to win both the Cy Young Award and the Most Valuable Player Award in the same season. In their first trip to the postseason the Brewers would face the New York Yankees in the Eastern Division Series. The Brewers would lose their first two games at County Stadium, and it all looked hopeless as they went to the Bronx. However the Brewers would not go down without a fight they would end up win the next two games and hold a lead in Game 5 before the Yankees bats took over and won the series' deciding game.

1982: After the Brewers get off to a disappointing 23-24 start Manager Buck Rodgers is fired, and replaced by Harvey Kueen. Under Kuenn the Brewers would catch fire winning 72 over their last 115 games, and would hold off the Baltimore Orioles on the final day of the season to win the AL Eastern Division Title. Along the way the Brewers would earn the nickname Harvey's Wallbangers because of the team's 216 HR. Also earning honors were SS Robin Yount who wins the AL MVP, and pitcher Pete Vukovich who wins the Cy Young. The Brewers would find themselves in a 2-0 hole again in the ALCS against the California Angels. However this time the final 3 games were to be played in County Stadium and after winning the next two the Brewers would not be denied and won the deciding Game 5 when Cecil Cooper singled drove in the tying and winning runs in the 7th inning, as the Milwaukee Brewers headed off to their first World Series. In what would become known as the Suds Series the Milwaukee Brewers would take on the St. Louis Cardinals. The Brewers got off to a promising start with a 10-0 rout of the Cardinals in game 1. However, the Cardinals would rebound to win the next 2 games. The Brewers with their backs to the wall rallied in game 4 with a 6 run 8th to knot the series at 2 games each. After winning game 5 the Brewers needed only 1 win in St. Louis to bring home the trophy. Unfortunately for the Brewers that win would never come after a blow out loss in Game 6, the Brewers lead game 7 in the 6th inning but a 3 run rally caped by George Hendrick RBI single would doom the Brew Crew.

1983: The Brewers follow up their trip to the Fall Classic with an 87-75 record that lands the in 5th Place in a tough Eastern Division, as a record 2,397,131 fans went through the turnstiles at County Stadium. Following the season Harvey Kueen would retire sighting poor health.

1984: The Brewers suffer through an injury-plagued season losing Paul Molitor for most of the season, and finishing dead last with a terrible 67-94 record.

1985: George Bamberger returns to the helm as manager, but the Brewers recovery is not a quick one as much of their power source from the 1982 World Series team is either gone or past their prime. The Brewers would finish 6th with a terrible 71-90 record.

1986: The Brewers continue to struggle finishing in 6th place with a record of 77-84, as Manager Tom Treblehorn takes over in the final 9 games of the season.

1987: The Brewers would get off to a flying start wining their first 13 games of the season. The winning streak was highlighted by the Juan Nieves' No Hitter the first in Brewers history. The No Hitter was saved by a diving catch by Robin Yount now playing CF for the final out. The year would end up becoming the year of the streak for the Brewers as the 13-game winning streak was almost wiped out completely by a 12 game losing streak. Another streak in Milwaukee that caught people's attention was Paul Molitor's 39 game hitting streak the Longest in the AL since Joe DiMaggio's 56 game streak in 1941. The Brew Crew would go on to finish in 3rd Place with 91 wins, which was 6 more than AL West Champion Minnesota Twins who would go on to shock the world and win the World Series.

1988: The Brewers are involved in a tight 5-team race for the Eastern Division Title that went down to the wire. However the Brewers would fall 2 games short with a solid 87-75 record.

1989: The Brewers struggle to finish with an 81-81 record landing them in 4th Place, despite a 2nd MVP season from Robin Yount.

1990: After 4 straight winning season the Brewers struggle all season and finish in 6th place with a record of 74-88.

1991: The Brewers finish 4th with a mediocre 83-79 record. Following the season Manager Tom Treblehorn is fired, and replaced by Phil Garner.

1992: The Milwaukee Brewers lead by a strong pitching staff would find themselves in a tight battle for the AL East. The Brewers provided a strong challenge to the eventual World Champion Toronto Blue Jays, before fading in September, and finishing with a 92-70 record, only 4 games out of 1st. During the season longtime Brewer hero Robin Yount delivers his 3000th career hit, becoming the 3rd youngest to achieve that milestone. Also making news was SS Pat Listach who becomes the first Brewer ever to win Rookie of the Year honors. Near the end of the 1992 season Brewers owner Bud Selig found himself in a new position of power as he is made the interim commissioner replacing the deposed Fay Vincent. Although it was only supposed to be a temporary job Selig would eventually become the Commissioner full time selling the team to his daughter Wendy.

1993: With the loss of Paul Molitor to Free Agency the Brewers fizzled from the start of the season finishing in last place with a terrible 69-93 record. Molitor would go on to win World Series MVP honors with Toronto Blue Jays. The season would also mark the end of Robin Yount's 20-year career. Yount would go on to announce his retirement prior to the start of the following spring training.

1994: With Brewers in last place with a 53-62 on August 12th all thoughts of a postseason were out of the question. However, thanks in part to Brewers owner Bud Selig there was no postseason. Selig who was made Commissioner 2 years earlier puts the bottom line ahead of the good of the sport and acts more as the owner's hatchet man then Commissioner. Earlier in the season the Selig led owners, who said a super majority was need to come to a collective barging agreement. However, with a small but strong block of small market owners led by Selig such a majority was impossible. Selig would eventually set a date for the players to accept the owner's demands, and when the date passed without an agreement Selig cancelled the rest of the season including the World Series. The strike would drag on until the start of next season when a Federal Judge granted an injunction on the basis of unfair labor practices after replacement players were used in Spring Games. In the end the owners would fold, and the only losers were the fans.

1995: When the players returned the Brewers no better off, and placed a distant 4th with a 65-79 record in the AL Central.

1996: The Brewers manage to play solid baseball for most of the season before falling off in the final two months to finish with their 4th consecutive losing season at 80-82.

1997: The Brewers make history on June 13th becoming the first American League Team to play in a National League Park during the regular season during an interleague game against the Chicago Cubs. The Brewers would win the game 4-2 behind the pitching of Jeff D'Amico. The Brewers would end the season with a mediocre 78-83 record.

1998: The Brewers would play even more games in NL Parks becoming the first team to switch Leagues in the modern era. The Brewers would actually get off to a fast start but faded fast and would wind up with their 6th straight losing season as 74-88.

1999: Tragedy would strike close to home, as a crane collapse on the Brewers new ballpark would kill 4 construction workers. The accident would cause minor damage to the new stadium forcing the team to delay the opening of Miller Park, slated for April 2000 an entire year. The Brewers would continue to struggle finishing in 5th place with a record of 74-87.

2000: In the final year of County Stadium the Brewers suffer their 8th Straight losing season with a 73-89 record. However, pitcher Jeff D'Amico makes some news with a 5-0 July earning pitcher of the month honors with a microscopic 0.76 ERA.

2001: Miller Park finally opened its doors, with President George W. Bush and Commissioner Bud Selig on hand to deliver ceremonial first pitches. Brewers slugger Richie Sexson belted an 8th inning game-winning HR to beat the Cincinnati Reds in the first official game on April 6th. The Brewers were energized with the opening of their new home, and thanks to one of baseball's best early season home records were among the National League Central leaders throughout the first half. However, injuries and a Major League record 1,399 of strikeouts took their toll as the team slumped to finished 4th with a 68-94 record.

2002: Manager Davey Lopes is fired as the Brewers get off to a terrible 3-12 start. However, under his replacement Jerry Royster the Brewers would continue to struggle settling to the bottom of the NL Central. Things went from bad to worse when Geoff Jenkins was lost in June to a broken leg. Not even the All-Star Game, which Milwaukee had looked forward for years to hosting, would go right. First excitement of the game was tempered by strike threats then the game itself ended in a 7-7 tie when both teams ran out of pitchers in the 11th Inning. The All-Star fiasco was the latest in a long line of embarrassments for MLB commissioner Bud Selig, who has owned the Brewers since 1970. After the All-Star break the Brewers struggles continue as they finished with a franchise worst 56-106 record.

2003: Coming off a 106-loss season and picked to finish last again under new Manager Ned Yost expectations were not high entering the season, and the Brewers quickly settled to the bottom of the NL Central with a 9-18 record in April. With the continued losing the Brewers had trouble drawing fans as Miller Park was half empty on most nights. Among the only thing Brewers fans had to cheer was the power of Richie Sexson who clobbered 45 homers while driving in 124 RBI, and Geoff Jenkins who hit 28 homers in just 124 games. Brewer fans also had reason to cheer for the future as Scott Podsednik had a solid .314 average while finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting. However the Brewers would finish in last place again posting a losing record for the 11th straight season at 68-94. Following the season Brewers ownership decided to cut payroll and dealt the Brewers best player Richie Sexson to the Arizona Diamondbacks, giving fans even less reason to cheer.

2004: With the trade of Richie Sexson the players the Brewers got in return gave the Brewers a injection of life as the Brewers played competitive baseball for the first half of the season holding a 45-41 record at the All-Star Break, as Lyle Overbay acquired in the deal more the adequately replaced Sexson batting over .300, while leading the team in RBI most of the season. However after the All-Star Break it would all fall apart as the Brewers offense struggled, as they were held to 2 runs or fewer 33 times while posting 22-53 record which ranks as the worst ever for a team that entered the All-Star Break with a winning record. The awful second half would see the Brewer plummet all the way down to last place for the third straight year as they finished with a record of 67-94.

2005: The Brewers would get off a promising start as they won their first 3 games, but it was soon erased as the Brewers found themeslves at 5-10. However, this would not end up being another lifeless horrible season in Milwaukee, it would be a season of renewed hope for the future as prospects like Rickie Weeks began to make big contributions, while Carlos Lee acquired in a trade for Scott Podesdnik became the Brewers began power bat with a team high 32 HR and 114 RBI, as the Brewers played competitive baseball all season. On the mound things would not go as smoothly as Ben Sheets dealt with injuries spending two stints on the Disabled List. However, thanks to Chris Capuano who won 18 games the Brewers pitching did not fall apart either as Derrick Turnbow took over in the bullpen saving 39 games with an impressive 1.76 ERA. Even though the Brewers were a non factor in the playoff chase the fight for a .500 record would become the goal of the club, as fans got a taste of slugging 1B prospect Prince Fielder. Thanks to a solid September the Brewers would reach .500, for the first time in 13 years finishing in 3rd place with an 81-81 record, that end with hope returning to Milwaukee baseball.

2006: The Brewers started the season with new sense of optimism as the Brewers had their best team on paper in years, and out of the gate they started hot, winning their first five games. However, injuries quickly took a toll as the loss of Ben Sheets who pitched just 17 times slowed any chance the Brewers had of making a run for the postseason. As the season wore on the injuries mounted with J.J. Hardy, Rickie Weeks, and Corey Koskie all missing significant time. By the time the trade deadline rolled around the Brewers were forced to make some hard decisions about the future as they traded free agent to be Carlos Lee to the Texas Rangers for Outfielders Kevin Mench, Laynce Nix, reliever Francisco Cordero, and minor league pitching prospect Julian Cordero. After the deal Francisco Cordero would give the Brewers a solid reliable closer as he saved 16 games in the final two months, but the Brewers would not win many games as they finished in 4th Place with a record of 75-87.

2007: The Brewers celebrated the 25th Anniversary of their 1982 team that went to the World Series by wearing their classic ball glove uniforms on Friday home dates. However, the celebration also served as a reminder how long it had been since the Brewers mattered in baseball, but as the season began there were signs everywhere that was about to change as the Brewers were loaded with young talent, that was about to reach it's promise. Early on there was a party atmosphere at Miller Park as the Brewers jumped out to a fast start holding a 25-11 record and an eight and half game lead for first place through the first six weeks of the season. However, the Brewers would suddenly come crashing back to earth as they lost 13 of their next 17 games. The Brewers struggles continued into June as they were no hit by Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers on June 12th dropping to 34-30 in the process. The no hitter seemed to serve as a wake up call as the Brewers got back on track winning 13 of 16 to close the month, as they continued to hold the top spot in the National League Central. However injuries would become a factor in July as they lost Ben Sheets for a month with a sprained finger. In Sheets' absence the Brewers lost their grip on first place and slipped below .500. Ben Sheets would return as the Brewers played well down the stretch, but in the end they had lost too much ground as they ended the season in second place with a record of 83-79, their first winning season in 15 years. While the Brewers did not capture the team goals of a division title, they captured plenty of individual hardware as Prince Fielder led the NL with 50 home runs, winning the Hank Aaron Award, while Ryan Braun was named Rookie of the Year with 34 homers and 97 RBI.