It's become something of a running joke around here that the Brewer organization is full of Canadians. And, like any good running joke, there's an element of truth to it: The Brewers do seem to be one of the leaders when it comes to drafting and signing players from north of the border.
It hasn't always been that way, though: Until 2002 there had only been three Canadian Brewers in franchise history. One of them, Reggie Cleveland, was born on this day in 1948 in Swift Current, Saskatchewan.
Cleveland had pitched in ten seasons between three major league teams when the Brewers acquired him via trade following the 1978 season. He pitched the final three seasons of his major league career for Milwaukee, posting a 4.66 ERA in 109 appearances (14 starts).
Actually, Cleveland's 109 appearances are more games than any other Canadian in Brewer history:
| Player | Season(s) | Games |
| Reggie Cleveland | 1979-81 | 109 |
| Matt Stairs | 2002 | 107 |
| John Axford | 2009-11 | 79 |
| Corey Koskie | 2006 | 76 |
| George Kottaras | 2010-11 | 76 |
| Eric Gagne | 2008 | 50 |
| Matt Maysey | 1993 | 23 |
| Barry Cort | 1977 | 7 |
| R.J. Swindle | 2009 | 6 |
| Adam Stern | 2010 | 6 |
Cleveland turns 63 today. With help from Brewerfan.net and the B-Ref Play Index, we'd also like to wish a happy birthday to:
- Wisconsin Timber Rattler Cameron Garfield, who turns 20.
- Auburndale, WI native Jordan Zimmermann, who turns 25. Zimmerman has pitched for the Nationals in each of the last three seasons.
- 1996 Brewer Marshall Boze, who turns 40.