Today In Brewer History: Hank's Last Hurrah

On this day in 1976 the Tigers beat the Brewers 5-2 in front of a Sunday afternoon crowd of just 6,858 at County Stadium in Milwaukee. Dave Roberts pitched a complete game for the Tigers as the Brewers finished the season with a 66-95 record. Hank Aaron started the game at DH and went 1-for-3 with an RBI in his final major league appearance.

The game was Aaron's 3298th, still the third most in major league history. The hit was his 3771st, also good for third, and the RBI was his MLB-record 2297th. His career effectively ended in the sixth inning, when he was lifted in favor of pinch runner Jim Gantner.

Aaron, of course, was elected to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot in his first year of eligibility in 1982, appearing on 97.8% of ballots.

With help from the B-Ref Play Index, happy birthday today to 2011 Brewer Brett Carroll. He turns 30.

Today is also the 30th anniversary of the Brewers beating the Orioles 10-2 on the season's final day in 1982 to win the AL East and advance to the postseason. We covered that event in this space last year.