These 15 are among the best Brewers moments in interleague play
Interleague play in Major League Baseball long ago lost its shine of novelty, evolving from a specific portion of the season to a yearlong reality thanks to realignment, not to mention the introduction of "rivalry" series.
Next year, the process will become even more streamlined, when the schedule will be altered to allow for a matchup with every team in Major League Baseball for at least one series, AL or NL. With the designated hitter gone and the playoffs expanded to include as many non-division winners as division winners, it made less sense to ensure a greater emphasis on divisional play.
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Interleague Play began in 1997, when it was a strange novelty to play National League teams. For the Brewers, that became a strange footnote in history, given that they switched to the National League the following year and interleague games meant facing old foes.
These have been the 15 most intriguing moments in Milwaukee's interleague history.
1. The no-hitter (Sept. 11, 2021 at Cleveland)
Corbin Burnes threw eight electric innings, capped by a sliding catch from Lorenzo Cain, and Josh Hader worked a 1-2-3 ninth as the Brewers shut out Cleveland, 3-0, and recorded just the second no-hitter in franchise history. The combined no-no joined a Juan Nieves gem on April 15, 1987, as the only Brewers no-nos.
2. Fielder and Weeks hit first career homers (June 25, 2005 vs. Minnesota)
With young stars Rickie Weeks and Prince Fielder presumably part of the talent wave that would lead the Brewers to a new level, Milwaukee staged a 7-6 win over the Twins with dramatic symbolic flair. Weeks led off the bottom of the first with his first career home run, coming against reigning Cy Young winner Johan Santana, no less. Fielder then hit his first career blast, a three-run homer in the sixth against Jesse Crain that helped give the Brewers a win.
"From the moment Rickie signed with us (in 2003), he and Prince have been joined at the hip," Brewers manager Ned Yost said. "For those guys to hit their first homers on the same night, you just couldn’t have scripted it any better."
3. Burny's walk-off (June 16, 1997 vs. St. Louis)
In the first interleague game in Milwaukee, Jeromy Burnitz's home run against Alan Benes with one out in the ninth accounted for the only run in a 1-0, walk-off win. Benes allowed just four hits in the game, looking for the complete game, and Bob Wickman had just escaped a jam in the ninth with two runners on. Ben McDonald worked eight shutout innings for the Brewers.
4. Prince Fielder's inside-the-park home runs (June 17, 2007 at Minnesota and June 19, 2008 vs. Toronto)
Prince Fielder was known for his prodigious power, but could his majestic swings compare to the two occasions in which the 275-pound slugger had to earn all four bases? In Minnesota, Lew Ford lost a ball in the lights, and back at home, Blue Jays outfielder Alexis Rios mistakenly believed a ball lodged in the outfield padding meant the play was dead, both allowing Fielder to storm around the diamond.
The homer in the ninth against Minnesota pulled Milwaukee to within 9-8, and a Craig Counsell sac fly later in the inning tied the game despite Milwaukee falling behind at one point, 9-2. But Justin Morneau's home run in the bottom of the ninth gave the Twins a 10-9 victory.
The Blue Jays game was crazy for multiple reasons. Dave Bush carried a no-hitter into the eighth, at which point Milwaukee still had an 8-0 lead. But the Brewers wound up holding on for dear life, an 8-7 win that ended with the tying run on base. Joe Inglett's grand slam was part of a six-run ninth.
5. Welcome to Wrigley (June 13, 1997 at Chicago Cubs)
For fans who have only known National League baseball over the past 25 years of Brewers baseball, a game at Wrigley Field won't feel like a milestone. But when the American League Brewers set foot into the hallowed grounds just 90 miles south for the first regular-season interleague game in franchise history, it marked a surreal moment for those who followed the team. Jeff D'Amico worked eight innings, Doug Jones locked down the save and José Valentin doubled, homered and drove in three runs.
6. Yovani walks it off (May 27. 2014 vs. Baltimore)
The Brewers were out of position players against the Orioles in extra innings, so reliever T.J. McFarland naturally walked Mark Reynolds with two down and nobody on in the 10th with the pitcher’s spot due up. But pinch-hitter Gallardo doubled to center field (narrowly missing a home run) to drive in the winning run for a 7-6 victory in a game in which the Brewers had been down to their final out in the ninth, only to tie the game when Jonathan Lucroy’s weak single against lefty bullpen ace Zach Britton plated Elian Herrera.
7. A furious finish (Sept. 28-30, 2018 vs. Detroit)
On their way to triggering the famous George Webb free burger promotion thanks to 12 straight wins, the Brewers finished the 2018 season with a flourish, stealing away the National League Central with Game 163 against the Cubs. To get there, they had to sweep the Tigers, which they did with dramatic flair. It included a pair of 6-5 wins thanks to late tiebreaking homers. Ryan Braun's glanced off the glove of Nick Castellanos in the eighth inning of Game 1, and Christian Yelich's second of the game in the seventh of Game 2 proved to be difference makers. Yelich went on to win MVP.
8. Early morning rollercoaster (June 8, 2004 at Anaheim)
Ben Sheets lost his no-hit bid with two outs in the seventh thanks to a crazy low-ball single from Hall of Famer Vlad Guerrero, though he rebounded to allow just the one hit in nine complete innings, throwing just 103 pitches. But that was a distant memory when the scoreless game continued onward until the 17th inning, when Scott Podsednik's two-out double scored Craig Counsell with the game's only run. Dan Kolb locked down three groundouts for the wild 1-0 win that ended at 1:54 a.m. in Milwaukee.
9. Tony Plush takes Minnesota (July 2, 2011 at Minnesota)
The Summer of Tony Plush will be remembered mostly for Nyjer Morgan's walk-off single in the playoffs, but he played a huge role in an uplifting rally from 7-0 down at Target Field in Minneapolis. His two-run homer in the top of the sixth was big, but his two-run double off Matt Capps with Milwaukee down to its last out tied the game and set the stage for a go-ahead single by George Kottaras, giving Milwaukee an 8-7 win. It was
10. The Captain (June 7-8, 2005 vs. New York Yankees)
On back-to-back nights, with a rare visit from the powerhouse New York Yankees, Derek Jeter came to the plate with two outs in the ninth and a chance to thwart Milwaukee. And both times, the Brewers prevailed. Geoff Jenkins made an outstretched diving catch toward the right field line to keep the tying run from scoring and capping a 4-3 win in Game 1, and Derrick Turnbow induced a comebacker the next night with the tying run on third for a 2-1 win.
11. The 2021 season opener (April 1, 2021 vs. Minnesota)
In the team's first game back with fans in the stands following the COVID-19 shutdown of 2020, the Brewers rallied for three runs in the ninth to tie the Twins, then walked it off in extras. Travis Shaw's two-run double with the Brewers down to their final out knotted things up at 5-5, and Lorenzo Cain slid home under a throw home to account for the winning tally in the 10th.
12. Suter vs. Kluber (May 8, 2018 vs. Cleveland)
Pressed into emergency relief after Wade Miley left the game, Brent Suter worked 4 2/3 innings to help Milwaukee procure a 3-2 lead, but his best work was done at the plate, when his home run leading off the third against Cy Young winner Corey Kluber accounted for the winning tally. It's still Suter's only career home run. He also made an acrobatic diving catch that he turned into a double play.
13. Keon Broxton steals one away (July 4, 2018 vs. Minnesota)
Capping a thrilling holiday series with the Twins, folk hero Nate Orf hit a home run that provided the decisive run in the seventh, and Keon Broxton scaled the wall to steal a homer away from Brian Dozier in the ninth. Eduardo Escobar followed with a blast that did clear the fence, making it 3-2, but the Brewers prevailed for the win after Corey Knebel secured the final out.
14. The Jonathan Davis catch (June 29, 2022 at Tampa)
Is it too early to make the list? Jonathan Davis's lunging, death-defying catch to rob Randy Arozarena of a hit in the second inning earlier this year may go down as the catch of the year, though it left Davis feeling the pain.
More: Social media reacts to absurd Jonathan Davis catch for Brewers against Rays
15. Justin Verlander's no-hitter (June 12, 2007 at Detroit)
OK, it doesn't count as a great highlight for the Brewers, but it bears mentioning, all the same. Verlander was electric in keeping the Brewers out of the hit column during the 4-0 win. The closest Milwaukee came to a hit was a Gabe Gross drive up the middle that Neifi Perez deftly turned into a double play in the eighth.
JR Radcliffe can be reached at (262) 361-9141 or jradcliffe@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JRRadcliffe.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: The top 15 Milwaukee Brewers moments in interleague play
