Toughest Brewer Losses...

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

One of the reasons I like to come here, even after losses, is to share the frustration this team brings with people who feel it too. So, after a night of less sleep than usual (it's clear baseball means too much to me, I know), I was thinking about the toughest losses to take as a Brewer fan. I don't bring this up to rain negativity on the team. More to acknowledge the pain out loud so that when the World Series title does arrive, and it will, it will have something concrete to stand in glorious contrast to.

 

I started following the Brewers in 1998, when I was about 12 and they had just moved to the NL. I listened to the games on 580 WKTY, and Fernando Vina was my favorite player. I've divided this list into playoffs and regular season because we all know playoff baseball is a special kind of heartbreaking.

 

Playoffs:

 

1) Game 5. 2011 NLCS. Jerry Hairston was a good pick up for that club. Yet, the image I'm stuck with is him booting a ground ball and sort of just knowing the series was over. We had Greinke on the mound after Wolf stole one in Game 4, and I believed, like really believed, the Brewers would have to win game at Miller to play in a World Series. No such luck.

 

2) Game 6. 2011 NLCS. This one had a more resigned feel, probably because of how early and how often the Cardinals lit up the scoreboard, but I remember playing out the string, feeling like I had to listen to Ueck, and then staring vacantly off into space in the only apartment I ever lived in completely by myself for about two hours. Maybe the TV was on, I don't remember. I refuse to say if there were tears.

 

3) Game 1. 2008 NLDS. I thought Hart was going to come through to tie it. He didn't.

 

4) Game 4. 2008 NLDS. Check swings, CC, and just not being good enough yet. This one wasn't as bad because I thought the best days were still to come, but the last out stung.

 

Regular Season:

 

There are many games on this list, last night included. But I wanted to just mention my own personal (least) favorite.

 

1) July 3rd, 2008. The Brewers had a 5-0 lead on the Diamondbacks going into the bottom of the ninth. Three pitchers (Mota, Shouse, and Torres) then combined to give up six straight run without record an out. I was listening on the radio on a long solo car trip. I'm pretty sure it finished in complete silence.

 

Nominees from this year: The Padres game where Sogard gave us the lead in extras and then the Padres made his daughter cry, Torres and the Dodgers, the last two nights, the balk game against the Twins.

 

I am now going to balance this out with a post in the optimism thread.

[kestrel79]

2011 NLCS with Kotsay in center.

 

Brewers had a super high resolution photo of the entire stadium during the playoffs. During that game when I zoom in on me and my friends sitting there we all looked so miserable and defeated and it was like the 3rd inning. You just knew.

[MrTPlush]

Game 6 of the 2011 NLCS. I didn't even turn on the game. Shaun Marcum was just gassed for weeks and the Brewers refused to start (Gallardo?) on short rest. No way we were winning that game with Marcum.

 

Not sure if being so sure of the outcome you don't turn on an NLCS game makes it better or that much more depressing.

[buckybrewer232]

Game 5 of the 2011 NLCS was a tough one, game 6 was not IMO. I knew it was over and they had no chance with Marcum on the mound, he was done.

 

Last night's loss was one of the worst I've ever experienced, especially considering it came on the heels of another gut puncher the night before. Just super painful to watch, just waiting for them to blow it. Missed opportunities with guys on (again) all game, come back and take the lead, Cubs get leadoff guy on in the 9th because Jeffress doesn't hustle to 1st. A call that could go either way, goes against the Brewers.

 

Baez looks like a fool swinging out of his shoes and then shortens up and gets a hit on a super tough pitch.. Santana swings through a fastball right down the middle and then chases pitches way out of the zone.. Broxton jumps for no reason and drops a fly ball.. Counsell lets Drake pitch to one of the best right handed hitters in the game even though righties hit .350 against him. All while listening to obnoxious Cub fans scream in Miller Park.

 

Ahh, that hurt!!!

[Baldkin]

Game 1 of the 2008 playoffs.

 

Gallardo was pitching really well, his curveball was sharp... then it started to rain and he lost his control.

 

Cameron, who'd been so good all season, has a 2 out flyball go off his glove, giving up 2 runs after a Weeks error covering on a bunt.

 

[FidoMcCokefiend]

1982 Game 7 of WS. You finally break through on Andujar T6, and take a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the 6th. And you immediately give the lead right back. Immediately. 12 outs from a title. And its gone 6 batters later.

 

At the time you thought the Brewers would be in contention for a while...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzYWzNTB8m0

[JohnBriggs12]

Brewers have lost twice to Cubs this year when leading going into 9th. The first was in April at Wrigley and then last night. Both were hard to stomach. Win those two and they are a half game back. Last night was preventable. Jeffress lollygagged to first and Arcia didn't lay out to keep Baez grounder in the infield.

 

Loss to Dodgers in early June when they blew a 3 run 9th inning lead in large part because Aguilar refused to take an out looms large too.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Strangely I wasn't that moved by the NLCS. I was at Game 6, kinda had that feel outta the gate we were saying goodbye to that group. Cardinals scored early and often, Lucroy launched one to keep it close briefly, but when they lost Game 5 I pretty much knew that was it. I just remember the feeling in the stands being one of "This was a hell of a team, let's applaud them on this season."

 

The only time I thought we were going to take that series was after Game 1. Part of being a perennial doormat is that I don't vividly recall a lot of brutal losses. They all just blend together.

[bucks2281]

Last night really stung. Most painful loss since 2008.

 

I can't say any of the 2008 playoff losses really hurt, as I was just happy to be there and you knew the team was on borrowed time with a lethargic offense, CC on fumes and no Sheets. Game 3 of the 2011 NLCS was the most painful playoff loss in my lifetime -- that was the Kotsay CF game.

 

As far as regular season losses, reaching back into my bored-at-work memory bank, there are a few nominees:

 

July 3, 2008 at the D'Backs, as mentioned, was brutal.

 

During the 2007 season, there was the June 29 game at Wrigley. The Brewers scored 5 runs in the first and Aramis Ramirez hit a 3-run walk off in the bottom of the 9th to win 6-5. That was the beginning of the downfall of the 07 team. Also, the August 5 loss to the Phillies. Matt Wise, Cordero, Manny Parra and a Braun 3B fielding error managed to squander a 6-1 9th inning lead.

 

Sept. 18, 2008: at Wrigley -- Solomon Torres blows a 6-2 lead in the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs, with Geovany Soto hitting a game tying three run homer. Brewers end up losing in 12. That was the worst loss of the 2008 collapse and probably one of the top 5 worst losses in team history.

[BuckyBrewer61]

I wasn't around in '82, otherwise I'm sure that'd top the list.

 

Game 6 of the NLCS was the toughest for me. I never really expected us to win it, especially after the Cards started scoring at will. There was just a sense of dread the whole game that you knew it was our one last shot, and with a Prince leaving the window was about to close. I remember sitting in the stands alone as they emptied until one of the ushers asked me to leave. He could obviously tell how dejected I was, cause he said "don't worry, they'll be back," and I thought "not likely anytime soon..."

 

In terms of regular season losses, I don't know that anything tops yesterday. It happens to every team every year, but man this team has found some ways to break our hearts a number of times this year. Don't get me wrong, they've been great, but feels like there have been many more gut wrenching losses than exhilarating victories.

[Baldkin]

During the 2007 season, there was the June 29 game at Wrigley. The Brewers scored 5 runs in the first and Aramis Ramirez hit a 3-run walk off in the bottom of the 9th to win 6-5. That was the beginning of the downfall of the 07 team. Also, the August 5 loss to the Phillies. Matt Wise, Cordero, Manny Parra and a Braun 3B fielding error managed to squander a 6-1 9th inning lead.

 

I was at Wrigley for that game. Took my dad for his first ever trip to Wrigley. It was such a fun game, until the 9th. I don't think my dad has moved that quickly as he did after that game to get to the train since then.

 

I'd gone to 3 Brewers road games, 2 at the end of 2006 (Chicago and St Louis) and that one, all three games Coco Cordero blew a save, 3 of his first 4 blown saves as a Brewer. So, it was probably my fault.

 

What makes that game hurt even more, the Brewers finished 83-79, the Cubs 85-77. That game was the difference in the division.

[jerichoholicninja]

Reading through made me realize I remember nothing about the 2011 NLCS. I remember the divisional series watching Nyjer walkoff to win it but I don't remember anything about a single game from the NLCS.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Reading through made me realize I remember nothing about the 2011 NLCS. I remember the divisional series watching Nyjer walkoff to win it but I don't remember anything about a single game from the NLCS.

 

I remember Fielder hitting a home run in Game 1, Lucroy hitting one for false hope in Game 6, and Marcum starting game 6 despite the knowledge he was CLEARLY out of gas, but other than that, I'm with you. I went into it expecting us to lose. It's just kind of a blur to me.

 

I was in Atlanta for Game 1, for the Packers-Falcons game on SNF. The Packers were in the middle of their 13-0 start to the year, so I went to a bar to catch game 1. It was FULL of Packers/Brewers fans. Every TV in that bar (Stats) had the Brewers game on. Not a single NFL game was on anywhere.

 

Packers rallied from down in the 2nd half to beat Atlanta in Atlanta (how times have changed). It was an amazing time to be a WI sports fan. I believe the Badgers were also undefeated. It looked like we might win a Super Bowl and WS in the same year.

[FidoMcCokefiend]

This thread has taught me I'm old.

 

Thanks everyone!

[bill hAll Star]

These comments really remind me that I think 2007/2008 were the most lucid memories because I remember every single heartbreaking loss. That June 29, 2007 loss to the Cubs and the July 3, 2008 loss to the D-Backs were very memorable to me.

 

I don't think last night's registered at all for me. If we were 1 game back it might have, but I've had the feeling that we have no chance at the division and I think I'd have been getting very emotionally invested if we won Thursday and Friday and it may have even took Saturday to make me feel there is a chance...then maybe this breaks my heart a bit.

 

Bonus: Sunday, August 3, 2014 @STL. Duke/Jeffress blew the game after Garza held on through 6 with a 2-0 lead.

 

Maybe it was just because I was focused on that game in a season where I didn't have a ton of time to follow, but it felt like that was the series vs. St. Louis where if the Brewers held on and had a great series I would really start believing in stealing the division. They botched the series on the final day from being a feel good 2-1 series win.

 

Of course, we actually played well for 2 more weeks after that loss with the Cards also predictably remaining hot right along with the Brewers and then the wheels came completely off. They had another one in September that had the exact same 3-2 loss chokejob against St. Louis but I think at that point the wheels had already fallen off.

[Fear The Chorizo]

I'll second that June 29, 2007 game against the Cubs - I remember leading up to that game that both the Brewers and Cubs were on fire, with Milwaukee maintaining their big early season division lead and the Cubs sorting themselves out under Pinella. Brewers had that huge 1st inning then did nothing offensively while the Cubs chipped away. Still entered the 9th up two with an on-fire Cordero in to close it, and he decided to give Aram a cement-mixer slider that he crushed...to go from celebrating the impending beatdown after a 5 run 1st to watching the Cubs walk off on the Brewers in Wrigley was about as deflated as I've ever felt after a regular season game.

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

How could I forget the 2007 Aramis Cubs game. That's a good one (good being an incredibly relative term in this case).

 

The four game sweep in 2008 against the Phillies I remember as being just brutally depressing despite the absence of any heart-wrenching losses. Now that I'm reminded of the Sept. 18th Cubs game, yeah, that one stung especially hard.

 

2008 has been so papered over with the Braun homer to close out the season and then Wes Helms getting the biggest hit of his Brewer career while playing for Florida that I have maybe lost some of the retroactive depression from the worst losses. There's your optimism for you. Sometimes, the last day of the season is enough to erase all the crappy walk-off losses of a baseball season.

 

May we be as fortunate this year!

[bucks2281]

During the 2014 season, that August loss against St. Louis and a k-rod chokejob loss in San Diego in late August (where noodle bat Rene Rivera hit a game tying HR at Petco in the 9th) were probably the two worst losses. During the 1-13 stretch in late August and September, the team seemingly got pounded in every game.

[SomewhereInTime]

I remember in 2008, at the end of the year all I could think about was that loss to the D-backs, if they came up one game short.

 

If I can nominate a series, how about the three gamer in Philly, late July 2012. The Brewers lead in the bottom of the 9th in all three games and K-Rod blew all three saves. Later in that year, the Brewers made a massive run and got as close as 1.5 back of the Cardinals for 2nd WC. That series sure could have helped.

[rickh150]

I work at a school on the Ill/WI border...... tons of fair weather Cubs fans. I didn't know that they even liked baseball in 2014. Now, Cubs crap/gear all over the place.

I was taking some heckling this morning (with my Brewers shirt on) and asked them if they watched the game last night..... so far, the best answer is that someone watched thru 9 innings. The others? No watch. In reality, there are soooooooooooooooooo many Cubs fans that are not invested one bit in the team but follow casually and a bit more in the playoffs. They will celebrate the victories, oh sure. Yet, follow thru going to a few games and getting an update of a game outcome on their phones. I know, i know, there are fans like that everywhere. Yet, I'll venture to say that Cubs fans are perhaps the only ones that will heckle you about a game not watched.

To conclude, when asked if I was hurting much today by a teacher decked out in Cubs gear, I said I'd rather be hurting as a Brewers fan than winning being a Cubs fan.

Stay strong, Brewer fan!

[MillerParkSouth]

These are the two toughest losses since the 2011 NLCS in my opinion, but damn it feels good to be in a position to have your heart ripped out by this team again.

[SomewhereInTime]

I'll admit, reading through some of these does make me feel a bit better about the last two nights. I mean one run leads get blown, especially without top closers. This year, especially the second half, has been a year of a lot of holding onto small leads late in games.

 

I guess the five worst for me that stick out this year:

 

1. Torres blowing that 3 run lead in the 9th to the Dodgers

2. Yesterday's game

3. The Kershaw game, blowing 1-0 lead in the 9th

4. Blowing a 4-0 and 8-4 lead to the Braves and Bartolo early in season

5. Maybe that game against the Giants early on, coming back from down 2 or 3 in the 9th, blowing a huge opportunity to win it, then giving up a million runs in the top of the 10th

[homer]

Still only a game out of the wild card...same as they were before this two game skid.

[OnaBadger58]

During the 2014 season, that August loss against St. Louis and a k-rod chokejob loss in San Diego in late August (where noodle bat Rene Rivera hit a game tying HR at Petco in the 9th) were probably the two worst losses. During the 1-13 stretch in late August and September, the team seemingly got pounded in every game.

I agree with the 2014 K-Rod blown save vs. the Padres. I don't think I've ever seen an outing that deflated a team like that. Went from 1.5 games up (Aug. 27th) on the division to 8 games back (Sept. 28th).

[moofis]

Weird, when I read the title of the thread there wasn't one particular game that stuck out to me as being the most painful, but I remember vividly each of the games mentioned in the thread so far (over the past 12 years or so), in fact I even remember where I was and what I was doing when most of those games happened.

 

Last night was especially tough. As I went to bed I told myself that that was perhaps the most painful game I've experienced as a Brewers fan. That was probably a bit of an overreaction, but that one last night really hurt (as did the one on Wednesday). The Brewers have bounced back from tough stretches all season long, here's hoping they can do it one more time.