Two weeks ago we remembered the anniversary of the major league debut of Darrell Porter, the second youngest player in franchise history. The Brewers wasted no time getting Porter into the lineup: He caught 22 of the team's final 29 games in 1971, and on this day he hit his first major league home run.
The Brewers had fallen behind early in the game, allowing four runs in the second inning, but came back with five unanswered to pick up the victory. Porter's solo shot was the fourth of those five runs, and it came with one out in the fourth inning. Ken Sanders pitched a perfect ninth for his 29th save: He would finish the season with 31 and go on to hold the Brewer single season record for 18 years.
Porter was the second youngest Brewer ever to homer in a game, and only the third to do it before his 20th birthday:
Player | Date | Age |
Robin Yount | April 13, 1974 | 18 years, 209 days |
Darrell Porter | September 14, 1971 | 19 years, 240 days |
Gary Sheffield | September 9, 1988 | 19 years, 296 days |
With help from the B-Ref Play Index, happy birthday today to:
- 2006 Brewer Joe Winkelsas, who turns 38.
- Fellow 2006 Brewer David Bell, who turns 39.
- Hall of Famer and Madison native Kid Nichols, who would have turned 142. Nichols played 15 major league seasons between 1890-1906 as a member of the Boston Beaneaters and two other teams.