Myers deals, Yelich hits 200th career homer in dramatic victory

ANAHEIM -- Surging Brewers starter Tobias Myers took a shutout to the seventh inning and threw every pitch with a lead thanks to Christian Yelich, who hit his 200th career home run in the Brewers’ 6-3 win over the Angels on Tuesday at Angel Stadium -- with a remarkable save from center Sal Frelick as a punctuation mark.

Frelick's leaping, game-ending catch robbed Taylor Ward of what would have been a tying, three-run home run and denied the Angels a wild comeback in the bottom of the ninth inning that began with the Brewers holding a 6-0 lead.

“It looked like it was going to be one of those smooth-sailing nights,” Yelich said. “Not an easy win, but an uneventful one. It turned out to be anything but that.”

It’s been an eventful couple of weeks for Yelich, the 32-year-old former National League MVP, who capped the month of May by hitting his 300th double and has spent June chasing his 200th home run and 200th stolen base. He’d been sitting on 199 home runs since May 29 but ended that pursuit when he connected with a high fastball from Angels starter Griffin Canning in the first inning.

Now, just the stolen bases remain. Yelich needs two more for 200 in that category.

“It was cool to finally get [the home run],” he said. “You kind of know eventually it’s going to happen, but you never know when. Obviously, it took me a while to do it. It’s pretty cool. A lot cooler in a win.”

Brewers equipment manager Jason Shawger was ready for the moment. He’d asked Yelich to sign a bat before Monday’s series opener, just in case. Meanwhile, Angels visiting clubhouse manager Brett Crane told the Angel Stadium ushers that Yelich’s next home run would be a milestone.

So, when a fan in an Angels jersey made the catch, the wheels were in motion. The signed bat made its way to the fan and the baseball in Yelich’s locker after the game.

“I don’t think ‘Yeli’ was too worried about it, but he did want to put some balls in the air,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “I saw some swings [Monday] night that indicated, ‘Woo, that’s a little gamble there.’ So, it felt good that it happened.”

When he gets two stolen bases, Yelich will be the 49th player in AL/NL history with 300 doubles, 200 home runs and 200 stolen bases, a list that includes eight former Brewers -- Hank Aaron, Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, Ryan Braun, Gary Sheffield, Marquis Grissom, Devon White, Mike Cameron -- along with the late, great Willie Mays, whose passing at age 93 on Tuesday was marked across Major League Baseball, including a moment of silence prior to the start of the Brewers-Angels game.

That's not the only connection between Yelich and the Hall of Famer. Besides being among the six players who have homered in an MLB-record four consecutive games to start a season, Yelich, in 2019 joined Mays among the 22 players who can boast of at least one season with 40-plus homers and 20-plus steals.

“I would say my name doesn’t belong in a whole lot of categories next to his,” Yelich said. “If you’re tying him in anything or mentioned in the same breath, that’s obviously a huge honor. It’s really special.”

Yelich had never met Mays in his baseball travels, but like any outfielder who plays with a mix of power and speed, he reveres Mays’ place in Major League Baseball history. Yelich was fortunate to meet Mays’ contemporary (and Milwaukee legend) Hank Aaron on several occasions.

“Those guys are legends of the game,” Yelich said. “It’s a sad day in that aspect.”

Yelich is the first visiting player to hit career home run No. 200 at Angel Stadium since Adrian Beltre in 2007 for the Mariners.

It provided a quick lead for Myers, who departed with a 6-0 lead after holding the Angels scoreless on four hits in 6 1/3 innings and has been the Brewers’ best starter this month. Over his three starts in June, Myers has gone 3-0 while limiting opponents to one run on eight hits in 20 1/3 innings.

Among the moments that followed Yelich’s first-inning home run was a Little League, three-run home run for rookie Jackson Chourio, who circled the bases on a two-RBI double and an error after his bouncer into the right field corner got past Angels outfielder Jo Adell.

When Frelick saved the victory with his catch, the celebration moved to the clubhouse, where Yelich was doused with beer. That’s a traditional celebration for milestones, especially for Major League firsts, but somehow, this was Yelich’s maiden beer shower.

“When I was a rookie, it didn’t happen,” Yelich said. “Usually, they throw a bunch of stuff on you, but I had to kind of set the parameters of just beer.”

An unnamed teammate broke the rules.

“Someone smoked me with an ice cream sandwich,” Yelich said. “It ended up being alright. It’s a lot more fun to celebrate when you win.”