On this day in 1982, the Brewers took a key step to right the ship.
A 5-7 stretch in early September had significantly dampened the team's playoff chances, as their division lead shrank from 5.5 games on August 29 to just 1.5 on September 15. A weekend homestand against the Yankees was the cure for what ailed them, however, as they outscored New York 34-5 while sweeping the three game set.
The final game of that series was 29 years ago today, and the Brewers' 14-1 victory featured a pretty notable offensive accomplishment: The first eight Brewers to bat in the eighth inning all reached base as the Brewers scored nine runs in the frame to ice the victory. Four of those runs came on a pair of two run homers for Gorman Thomas, while three more scored on a long ball for Paul Molitor.
This was the fifth of six straight and eight of nine wins for the Brewers as they pumped their AL East lead back up to four games. Unfortunately, that lead melted away in the season's final week and the Brewers and Orioles would have to play to decide the division on the season's final day.
With help from the B-Ref Play Index, happy birthday today to:
- 1999 Brewer Jim Abbott, who turns 44.
- 1973 Brewer Chris Short, who would have turned 74.