Everyone knows about the current iteration of the Brewers and the Milwaukee Braves, of course, but Milwaukee's professional baseball history goes back well before either of those teams.
On this day in 1878 the National League Milwaukee Grays wrapped up their first season. They played 60 games and went 15-45, finishing sixth out of six teams:
| Team | W | L | GB |
| Boston Red Stockings | 41 | 19 | -- |
| Cincinnati Reds | 37 | 23 | 4 |
| Providence Grays | 33 | 27 | 8 |
| Chicago White Stockings | 30 | 30 | 11 |
| Indianapolis Blues | 24 | 36 | 17 |
| Milwaukee Grays | 15 | 45 | 26 |
The stars of the team were 20-year-old outfielder Abner Dalrymple, who appeared in every game and hit .354/.368/.421 to lead the team in all three categories, and pitcher Sam Weaver, who threw 383 innings in a 60 game season.
The 1878 season was both the Grays' first and last year in Milwaukee.
With help from the B-Ref Play Index, happy birthday today to:
- 2006 Brewer Joe Winkelsas, who turns 39.
- 2006 Brewer David Bell, who turns 40.
- Hall of Famer Kid Nichols, who would have turned 143. He pitched 15 major league seasons between 1890-1906 with the Boston Beaneaters (Braves) and two other teams.
Today is also the anniversary of Darrell Porter's first career home run in 1971, making him the first Brewer ever to homer before his 20th birthday. We covered that event in this space last year.