Brewers Take Another Big Step to Enhance Alumni-Fan Relationship
Players and fans alike are already loving the Milwaukee Brewers' efforts to keep their alumni nearby for reunion games and other fun events.
On Friday, right-hander Yovani Gallardo got the start a little after 6pm CST in Milwaukee. Outfielder Ryan Braun got robbed of a hard single to left early on in the game while general manager Doug Melvin looked on.
Don’t worry, you haven’t been magically transported back to the year 2011. Those were just a few names that were in town after Friday’s matchup between the Milwaukee Brewers and Colorado Rockies for a three-inning alumni game featuring Milwaukee legends and fan favorites.
The event helped celebrate the 25 years of American Family Field, formerly known as Miller Park. The current home of the Brewers hosted its first regular season game on April 6, 2001 when it officially replaced the now demolished Milwaukee County Stadium.
The Brewers alumni that were present were players, coaches, and front office members who were on the team over the course of the last 25 years. All played their parts, whether big or small, in bringing the franchise from a perennial cellar dweller to the powerhouse they are today.
“A big benefit to our job is that you get to see those guys come back and their perspective they have now is just so different and so changed,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said before both games. “It’s just fun. It’s fun to see that.”
The Brewers Alumni Connection Started Last Year With a Postgame Home Run Derby
Milwaukee attempted their first alumni get together last year during the stadium’s 25th year of operation. Instead of a game, the team held a postgame home run derby.
Team captains of the home run derby were the former NL MVP Braun as well as squad spark plug and fan favorite Carlos Gomez. They were joined by former Brewers sluggers like Prince Fielder, Eric Thames, and Corey Hart.
Hart, who had 162 homers over his 11-year MLB career, would advance to the final against an unexpected foe, former outfielder Keon Broxton, an owner of 39 career homers, though 20 of them came in one 2017 season with the Crew. Boxton would take the final by a final count of 3-2.
But the day wasn’t really about the home run derby itself. It was more about getting some of the team’s alumni more connected with the fans and doing so in one large scale event. In that sense, the day was a big success.
“For all of us to be able to feel that electricity and intensity is so special,” Braun told MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy at the time. “It was an incredible experience for all of us.”
Said Broxton to McCalvy, “I was coming to win and have fun and ultimately was just coming back to see the fans and give back to the people who showed me so much love.”
Friday’s Brewers Alumni Game Took Things to the Next Level
Last year’s home run derby was a hit among the Brewers faithful, but the organization decided they weren’t going to stop there. In May, the team announced that instead of another home run derby that they were upping the ante and holding an entire alumni game.
The team pulled out all the stops. Fans had a chance to meet and get autographs from many of the alumni who were in attendance. Highlights were shown throughout the game on the center field scoreboard between innings and players happened to be wearing hats with the 90s logo that debuted when the team was still in the American League in conjunction with MLB’s Hall of Fame induction weekend.
The game itself was played in lighthearted fashion, with batting practice style pitches and four-man outfields. Former Brewers infielder and current team consultant, Jace Peterson, jokingly challenged the first pitch of the game (it was confirmed to be right down the middle).
By far the biggest surprise of the night came when former Brewers starting pitcher Randy Wolf, who had five career homers to his name and none with Milwaukee, clubbed a three-run homer to right field. It ultimately won his team the game and won Wolf the alumni game MVP, something no one in the stadium was expecting.
“I don’t think there was anybody who that that was going to happen,” Wolf stated afterward. “It was awesome though, it was a lot of fun. Not only that moment, just being around everybody the past two days.”
“I think it’s great,” Wolf said of the new alumni game. “You build that culture of guys that were here before, it’s great seeing the current Brewers in the dugout watching. So just to have those generations of things passed down, and not even just baseball stuff, just fun and just enjoying this.”
While the fans clearly had a great time watching some of their favorite Brewers back in action, the returning players seemed to as well. Count Braun among those who enjoyed his time back in Milwaukee.
“Teammates, coaches, support staff, to have the opportunity to get back on the field is something I think all of us are really grateful for,” said Braun. “At this stage of life, nobody takes it for granted. You never know when it’s your last time to get out here. The fans are always so incredible and we all had a fantastic experience.”
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Written by
Matt Carroll is a writer for Just Baseball and former site expert at Reviewing the Brew. He studied journalism at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and currently…