On this day in 1991 the Brewers and Tigers played a Monday afternoon marathon at old County Stadium. The Tigers scored four in the top of the sixth to take a 6-1 lead, but the Brewers matched them with four in the bottom half to bring it back to 6-5, then scored three in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game at eight and send it to extra innings.
The score was still 8-8 heading into the 14th inning, but the Tigers exploded for seven runs in the top of that frame to coast to a 15-9 win. Cecil Fielder drew a walk in that inning, becoming the first Brewer opponent ever to receive five free passes in a game.
Despite the outcome, pitching around Fielder may have been the right decision. He had led all of baseball with 51 home runs and a .592 slugging percentage the year before and would go on to lead MLB with 44 homers again in '91. He made his second of three All Star appearances that season, and won his second of two Silver Slugger awards.
With help from the B-Ref Play Index, happy birthday today to:
- 1992-98 Brewer John Jaha, who turns 46. We covered his birthday in this space last year.
- 1991-92 Brewer Ed Nunez, who turns 49.
- 1986-87 Brewer Mark Clear, who turns 56.