My First Brewers Game

[Jake McKibbin]

The date was 15th July 2019, and I was merely an Irish traveller in the great city of Milwaukee to see my cousins.

I arrived several days earlier, yet despite a lack of sleep I felt such an energy, sleeping around 3 hours over a 48 hour period (including a random stag/bachelor party) yet the people in the city gave me so much energy, chatting **** with anyone and everyone. I was BOUNCING!

 

I had noticed a lot of people wearing shirts with "22" on them throughout the day, a city seemingly gripped with Yelich fever. Later that day, my cousin Josh came to me and asked about going to a ball game that night with him and his brother in law Max. I hadn't said no all holiday, and wasn't about to start now, despite the sudden onset of a cold coming on.

I'd never been to a tailgate before, but it's one of my standout memories of the whole trip. We grabbed a **** ton of hot wings, and headed to the game (extra hot, because yanno, have to prove I'm macho and all). The place was BUZZING! I've never felt or seen anything as relaxed and fun as a tailgate in my life, or since then, people throwing footballs, tossing baseballs, barbecues aflame, beers being necked with the sun on the horizon. One of those moments I'll truly never forget.

 

The Brewers were playing the Braves, and Josh had splurged on some really nice tickets ( a fact somewhat lost on me, as I had no idea what to expect bar the basics of hit ball, run bases, catch ball). We were sitting in the lower level, slightly first base side, beers in hand - though I have to say, Miller Lite, Bud Light and Coors Light, is that the quality beers that a brewery state should offer? Tut-tut!

 

As a maths nerd, so I was pestering everyone about what the numbers meant, what was good, what was bad. All of it confused me, but didn't dent the experience in any way. The tension rose when Yelich was in the batters box, but there was minimal excitement over the first few innings, albeit Atlanta were at least getting on base. In hindsight, Max Fried v Adrian Houser, tough battle! I digress, I was hoping for some electric play to cheer for, but it was fairly tepid to start. Only Hiura and Swanson getting on base;

Then came the 4th. The wretched inning where that top of the line-up came through for the Braves, singles by Acuna and Swanson before Freeman laced into a curveball below the zone, mashing it 420 ft to the scoreboard in centre. There was a palpable reduction in the simmering buzz around the stands, a jam packed crowd silenced by one mighty blow. Even worse was the fact the me on base came from a poor throw by Hiura, and a makeable play from Moustakas.

 

The following inning, Yelich singled, and stole second base with Ryan Braun up next. The stadium came to life, edging forward on their seats (I still had no clue other than the reactions of my relatives what on earth was going on), Braun struck out, but Grandal walked and with Moustakas up next, this was the opportunity to fire back.. Yet Big Mike and Aguilar had some softly hit fly balls and that was the end of that.

 

The came the inning of the game, Keston Hiura with a ground rule double before stealing third, but getting caught trying to sneak home off an Orlando Arcia grounder, leaving just Arcia on 1st, a real momentum shifter. I can't express how easily one could feel the momentum via the crowd that evening! Cain walked, before Yelich absolutely bluthered (Northern Irish slang: Smacked to the heavens) a ball, the crack was so loud! Alas, straight to Austin Riley in left field. The Brewers were beginning to put pressure on but just couldn't create that telling hit.

 

House had settled since that Freeman bomb, giving up a walk but through the top of the 6th with ease, then the Braves swapped out Fried for a relief pitcher, and Braun punished them with a huge dinger! This got me on my seat, and when Moustakas reached, and Hiura up to bat (he'd looked awesome all game). Earlier in the inning, Grandal was tossed for contesting a close call in a 3-2 count, then Hiura monstered a pitch. By god, the sound! The ball flew high in the air, Acuna going back... Acuna missed it, ball landed just inside the fence, RBI Triple! The Brewers may have been tied if the close call for Grandal was slightly different.. Orlando Arcia killed the inning with a routine fly, and it's onto the seventh.

 

The Braves hit back, three straight singles off of Houser by Albies, McCann and Riley, getting him out of the game, and establishing a little breathing room. Braun didn't cover himself in glory, a poor read and no dive on a makeable soft liner to left field, then a poor route and dropped ball to McCann creating the pressure.. then a slow, ambling jog to the soft fly into left field, and he was really exposed for his defense "efforts". The reliever did his job, but they'd taken the wind out of the Brewers sails, and after an uneventful eighth we came to the ninth, where the Brewers escaped a bases loaded jam in the top of the inning. Keston Hiura first up, a man who'd done damage all night.... strikes out swinging! Ben Gamel and Eric Thames finished the job, and the Braves walked away 4-2 winners.

 

Interestingly it was the next day that piqued my curiosity, as despite my cold, I got up to gym at 6AM, passed out on the sofa not long after and caught the afternoon game when I woke up, Yelich with a grand slam in a 13-1 win. I was hooked, so much variety in the scorelines, and I finally saw why I knew to get excited when Yelich came to bat. Hot Damn!

 

Edit: When I got home, when I would go to bed, I would occasionally stay up way later than I should with the MLB app open, waiting for pitch tracking data to register and see what happened on the last pitch, praying for that slight delay in an update which invariably meant there was a hit, or something eventful happening, bemoaning pitchers missing the zone (Had no idea that this could be intentional at times).

I still stay up way later than I should, or get up earlier than I should in the morning having waited to the point of a game starting to play o MLB.com, pressing pause, and then in the morning being able to watch the whole thing, as I find highlights just don't let you get the same feel for the game, it just isn't the same. I actually used to watch highlights then go to the reddit forums and see what everyone was chatting about in there!

[homer]

On 2/24/2023 at 5:54 AM, Jake McKibbin said:

We were sitting in the lower level, slightly first base side, beers in hand - though I have to say, Miller Lite, Bud Light and Coors Light, is that the quality beers that a brewery state should offer? Tut-tut!

Great writeup! 

Quick note: they have upgraded the beer selection since then. :)

[StearnsFTW]

I was at that game too.  

[SeaBass]

Really enjoyed the perspective. Baseball is a really cool choice of passive entertainment and when it gets good nothing beats it.

As for the tailgating, we do this kind of stuff with friends on the weekends too, even if we're not going to a game. Those of us in suburban areas I guess do anyway.

One of the guys will invite everyone over for the afternoon, wives and kids included, and get the grill going. It's pretty informal but someone volunteers to buy the meat and the rest of us pitch in a few bucks towards that. Everyone brings their own drink of choice, maybe a snack or side dish to add to the buffet table. We play bag toss (some call it Cornhole, I can't) or other games, or just sit in some lawn chairs and watch the kids run around, drinking, talking and cussing like old men and the women talk smack just as skillfully as the guys do. As night approaches the gathering thins out a bit, kids are taken home but several adults remain to spend a couple more hours in good company. It is what I like to call "A Good Time".

[Austin Tatious]

I’m amazed someone Irish likes the Brewers.  That’s awesome.  I know you really are Irish because you said “maths.”  :)

[Jake McKibbin]

1 minute ago, Austin Tatious said:

I’m amazed someone Irish likes the Brewers.  That’s awesome.  I know you really are Irish because you said “maths.”  :)

Hahaha well there's definitely a connection somewhere.... get me a pint of black at the stadium and I'll be yo-yoing!

 

[hawing]

I don't know how active @kalle8 has been on here since the site change, but you gents might have some stories to swap.  He's in Italy and his only visit to Milwaukee (to date, she said hopefully) was a 7 game homestand in 2012.