Milwaukee’s World Series drought was extended for at least one more year when the Los Angeles Dodgers won Game 7 of the NLCS at Miller Park. This loss was especially painful because it was only the second time in franchise history the Brewers were one win away from the Fall Classic. Given how infrequently the Brewers even make the playoffs, fans can be forgiven for worrying that another golden opportunity at the World Series will not come around for a while. The good news is that the 2018 Brewers gave fans plenty of iconic memories to make the waiting game more palatable.
Fans naturally reminisce about the “glory days” while patiently waiting for additional glory to materialize. Unfortunately the infrequency of success in Brewers franchise history means that glory days are few and far between. (This is why the 1982 team is still celebrated to this day.) Outside of the pennant-winning team, the volume of iconic moments in team history is rather low. They include:
- Starting the 1987 season 13-0.
- Clinching the Wild Card on the last day of the 2008 season.
- Nyjer Morgan’s series-winning hit in the 2011 NLDS.
There are dozens of smaller moments and incredible individual efforts scattered through the years (CC Sabathia’s stint in Milwaukee and Robin Yount’s 1989 MVP campaign come to mind), but not much that inspires you to search YouTube for highlights. The 2018 Brewers essentially doubled the volume of iconic moments in one month. A few of these moments include:
- Clinching a playoff berth in St. Louis and effectively eliminating the Cardinals from the playoffs in the process.
- Winning a one-game playoff against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field to clinch the division.
- Mike Moustakas’ walk-off hit in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Colorado Rockies.
- Sweeping a playoff series for the first time in franchise history
- Brandon Woodruff’s home run of Clayton Kershaw in Game 1 of the NLCS.
- And many more!
Even the Game 7 loss was iconic in a “bummer of a game we experienced together” sort of way.
The 2018 Brewers are a team fans can celebrate for years to come. They led us on an incredible ride that belongs in the Wisconsin sports annals next to the Aaron Rodgers “Run the Table” winning streak. And if we ever need a reminder of how loud Miller Park can be we’ll look up highlights from the first inning of their Game 6 NLCS victory.
With all of this said, the ideal scenario is that the 2019 Brewers will win the World Series and the 2018 team becomes a bit of an afterthought. Spring training begins on February 13th.