Milwaukee Brewers' surge is a Total Team Effort

If you look at my Cloud Nine Higher baseball themed photo shoot from September 2020, you know who my favorite teams are. And because of cable television history and geography, many folks in Nashville love the Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs. 

As for the Milwaukee Brewers? I see where they have a Robin Yount bobblehead day coming up at American Family Field. Yount was a star shortstop for the team back in the 1980s era when the Brew Crew was in the American League and lost to my Cardinals four games to three in the 1982 World Series. They are the parent club of the Nashville Sounds. Other than that, I don't know much about this first-place team.

I had to check MLB.com and ESPN.com to realize that the Brewers began as the Seattle Pilots back in 1969 and that they switched from the American League to the National League in 1998. 1982 was the only postseason appearance for the team during their time in the AL (although, like the Cardinals, they apparently got ripped in the split-season strike year of 1981). 

In 2008, the Brewers were a wild card team but lost to the eventual world champion Philadelphia Phillies three games to one in the NL Division Series. The Brewers took the NL Central in 2011 but lost to my wild-card Cardinals, the eventual world champions, in the 2011 NL Championship Series four games to two. 

2018 marked the last time Milwaukee played baseball in October. They won the Central Division and swept Colorado in the Division Series. They then lost to the Dodgers four games to three in the NL Championship Series.

This year the club just finished an 11-game winning streak that was a total team effort per the team website and comments from manager Craig Counsell. As for All-Stars, pitchers Corbin Burnes, Josh Hader, and Brandon Woodruff will be on Dave Roberts' National League team. Following Monday night's 4-2 loss at the NY Mets, Woodruff had a respectable earned run average of 2.10 despite being the losing pitcher.

Second baseman Jace Peterson, left fielder Christian Yelich, and center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. are somewhat recognizable names among a huge sea of MLB talent and rising stars such as Fernando Tatis Jr. and Shohei Ohtani. But neither Tatis' Padres nor Ohtani's Angels are in first place, and neither team is knocking on the door of the division lead. 

There is a lot more baseball to be played for sure. And while I wouldn't count the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs out of the NL Central championship picture here in early July, it looks like the Brew Crew just might run away with the division despite having a lack of star power on the team.

James A. Rose

Publisher