On this day in 2002 Keith Ginter's solo home run was not enough: The Brewers managed just three hits and lost 3-1 to the eventual NL Champion Giants. The Crew had two outfield assists in the game (one each for Jeffrey Hammonds and Matt Stairs) but also struck out 12 times while becoming the first team in franchise history to lose 100 games. The Brewers had played poorly in the first half but really went into a tailspin down the stretch, going just 23-51 after the All Star break.
All told, the organization is probably lucky this was the only 100 loss season in the early 2000's. They also lost 94 games in 2001, 2003 and 2004 before rebounding to go 81-81 in 2005. The Seattle Pilots held the previous record with 98 losses in their expansion season of 1969.
With the pressure of avoiding the 100th loss behind them, the Brewers relaxed and lost six of their last eight to finish at 56-106. Only the 2004 Diamondbacks (111 losses) and the 2003 Tigers (119) have lost more games since.
With help from the B-Ref Play Index, happy birthday today to:
- 2010 Brewer Jeremy Jeffress, who turns 24.
- 2003-06 and 2010 Brewer Doug Davis, who turns 36.
Also, happy anniversary to outfielder Drew Anderson. He had his only major league hit on this day in 2006.