Today In Brewer History: It Had To End Sometime

I'm still stinging from the way the Brewers lost the 2011 NLCS, and I know I'm not the only one.

They took a 1-0 lead in the series by winning Game 1 at Miller Park and won again in Game 4 to tie the series at two, but as fate would have it that was their final win of the season. One year ago today the Brewers' longest playoff run since 1982 came to an end.

The game turned downhill early, as Shaun Marcum wrapped up one of the worst postseason performances you'll ever see by allowing four runs on three hits and a walk in the first inning. The boulder rolled down the hill from there and the Brewers were already down 11-5 in the fifth inning. The final score was 12-6.

Unfortunately, this outcome was as predictable as it was disappointing, and if you don't believe that just look at what I said the day before:

"There's a strong possibility that tomorrow is going to be a defining moment in the careers of these two men (Marcum and Ron Roenicke), and not in a good way. If Marcum doesn't pitch well and the Brewers lose, this game is going to end up near the top of the list of biggest failures in Brewer franchise history."

With help from the B-Ref Play Index, happy birthday today to:

• 1993 Brewer Josias Manzanillo, who turns 45.
• 1987-88 Brewer Dave Stapleton, who turns 51.
• 1994 Brewer Brian Harper, who turns 53. We covered his birthday in this space last year.