To give you an idea of how long it’s been since the Milwaukee Brewers last reached the World Series, consider the concept of a pay phone.
Some of you are too young to remember actually putting coins in the machine and being limited in how long your call would last. Others only know a pay phone from old movies or modern television shows that emphasize a time before Apple, Microsoft, and ordering a pizza from the comfort of your bed were standard parts of life.
Has the Brewers’ World Series drought truly been that long? We suggest asking yourselves whether you want to know the answer.
When did the Milwaukee Brewers last reach the World Series?
If you’ve made it this far, you either have no problem feeling your age or you’re too young to properly care. Either way, this year marks the Brewers’ first World Series appearance since 1982, when Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, and a 95-win Milwaukee team met the St. Louis Cardinals in the Fall Classic.
But wait, you say. How could St. Louis and Milwaukee have faced off in the World Series when both play in the National League Central? The Brewers, who began play in 1969 as the Seattle Pilots, spent their first 30 seasons in the American League; they moved to the NL in 1998, the same year the Diamondbacks and then-Devil Rays debuted.
Those 1982 Brewers played in the AL East, only clinching the division with a Game 162 victory over the Orioles. Baltimore won the series’ first three games, so the Sunday finale was essentially a one-game playoff; had the Orioles won the regular season’s final game, the two teams would have met later that week in a Game 163.
What to know about the 1982 Milwaukee Brewers and their World Series run
The 1982 Brewers were loaded, with five Hall of Famers — Yount, Molitor, catcher Ted Simmons, starting pitcher Don Sutton, and closer Rollie Fingers — all playing pivotal roles. Yount was the marquee attraction, winning AL MVP after hitting .331 with 29 homers, 114 RBIs, 46 doubles, and a sensational .957 OPS. You won’t be surprised to learn his 10.5 bWAR is easily the highest single-season total in Brewers history, nearly three points higher than runner-up Ryan Braun’s 7.7 in 2011.
Molitor was stellar in his own right, scoring a franchise-record 136 runs and stealing 41 bases in 50 tries. Center fielder Gorman Thomas paced the American League with 39 home runs, and left fielder Ben Oglivie wasn’t far behind with 34.
These days, a pitcher going 18-6 with a 3.34 ERA and a 105-102 K-BB ratio wouldn’t draw much attention. This was a different time, though, and Pete Vuckovich’s win total easily earned him the AL Cy Young Award; for further perspective, his 2.8 bWAR was tied for the lowest among the nine pitchers who earned a first-place vote.
Milwaukee held off the California Angels in the ALCS, setting up a date with Keith Hernandez and the NL East-winning St. Louis Cardinals. Observers named it the “Suds Series” because Milwaukee (Miller Brewing) and St. Louis (Anheuser Busch) are both major cities in the alcohol market.
Regardless of which beer they were drinking, fans certainly got their fill in the seven-game Fall Classic. After trailing 3-2, the Cardinals returned to St. Louis and rallied to outscore the Brewers 19-4 over the series’ final two games. Veteran Cardinals catcher Darrell Porter became only the second player in MLB history to win the MVP Award in both the League Championship Series and World Series.
Ironically, Porter spent his first six seasons in Milwaukee and was later elected to the team’s Wall of Honor. It’s always funny how things turn out.
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