Brewers Franchise Timeline
Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher CC Sabathia is congratulated by owner Mark Attanasio after beating the Chicago Cubs 3-1 in a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 28, 2008, in Milwaukee. The Brewers clinched the National League wild card after the New York Mets lost to the Florida Marlins. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
? Celebrating 30 years as the voice of the Brewers, Bob Uecker throws out the ceremonial first pitch as the Brewers defeat Florida, 4-3, on April 10 in the final home opener at County Stadium.
? An 8-1 defeat at the hands of the Reds on September 28 is not enough to take away from the County Stadium finale as a crowd of 56,354 is treated to an appearance by Olympic gold medalist Ben Sheets and a 100-minute ceremony emceed by Bob Uecker.....some of the returning heroes include Hall of Famers Hank Aaron and Warren Spahn of the Braves, Willie Davis and Jim Taylor of the Green Bay Packers and Rollie Fingers and Robin Yount of the Brewers.
? The Brewers open Miller Park in grand fashion on April 6 by defeating the Reds, 5-4, with President George W. Bush and Commissioner of Baseball Allan H. "Bud" Selig in attendance.
? A faulty bus duct knocks out power on the left side of the ballpark, resulting in the first and only called game in the history of Miller Park on June 15 vs. Kansas City.
? For the first time since World War II, Major League Baseball postpones all games from September 11-16 due to multiple terrorist attacks on the United States.....play resumes for the Brewers on September 17 at St. Louis.
? At 56-106, the Brewers lose 100 games for the first time ever.
? Davey Lopes is fired after a 3-12 start on April 18.....Jerry Royster is named interim manager.
? Milwaukee hosts the All-Star Game on July 9 at Miller Park.....the third event of its kind in Milwaukee, and first since 1975, ends in a tie after both rosters are exhausted through 11 innings.
? The Brewers pay tribute to the 1982 American League champions with a 20th anniversary celebration on August 20.....among those in attendance are Hall of Famers Robin Yount and Rollie Fingers and future Hall of Famer Paul Molitor.
? A major shakeup takes place in the front office on September 25 as Wendy Selig-Prieb steps down as president and chief executive officer to become the chair of the board of directors.....local attorney Ulice Payne Jr. is named president and chief executive officer, becoming the highest ranking African American in Major League history.....in addition, the Brewers name Doug Melvin general manager, replacing Dean Taylor.
? Ned Yost is named manager on October 29.
? Bob Uecker is inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on July 27.
? Wendy Selig-Prieb and the Club's board of directors announce that the Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club is for sale on January 16.
? Chad Moeller becomes the fifth Brewer ever to hit for the cycle on April 27 vs. Cincinnati, the first ever to accomplish the feat at home.
? The Brewers register their largest comeback ever as they rally from a 9-0 deficit to beat the Reds, 10-9, on April 28 at Miller Park.
? Ben Sheets strikes out 18 batters in a 4-1 win on May 16 vs. Atlanta to set a franchise record.
? Paul Molitor is inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on July 25.
? Los Angeles financier Mark Attanasio is introduced as the prospective new owner of the Brewers on October 6.
? Major League Baseball owners unanimously approve Mark Attanasio as the new owner of the Brewers on January 13.
? The Brewers finish 81-81, snapping a streak of 12 consecutive losing seasons and marking a 14-game improvement over 2004.
? The Brewers tie a Major League record by hitting five home runs in the fourth inning of their 11-0 victory on April 22 vs. Cincinnati.....the homers were hit by Bill Hall, Damian Miller, Brady Clark, J.J. Hardy and Prince Fielder.....it marked the fifth time in Major League history that a team hit five home runs in an inning.
? For the first time since 1992, the Brewers finish above .500 as they go 83-79 and place second in the National League Central.
? Detroit's Justin Verlander tosses the third no-hitter ever thrown against the Brewers in the Tigers' 4-0 victory on June 12 at Comerica Park.
? J.J. Hardy belts the Brewers' 217th home run of the season to break the franchise record (216 in 1982).....the Brewers would finish with 231 home runs, leading the Major Leagues.
? With a pair of homers on September 25 vs. St. Louis, Prince Fielder becomes the youngest player ever to hit 50 home runs in a season.....at 23 years, 139 days, he breaks the mark of Willie Mays, who hit #50 at the age of 24 years, 137 days.
? Prince Fielder becomes the first Brewer to win the Hank Aaron Award, which goes to the top offensive performer in each league.....Fielder is presented with the award prior to Game 4 of the World Series in Denver on October 28.
? Ryan Braun is named National League Rookie of the Year, becoming just the second Brewer ever to win the award.....Pat Listach won it in the American League for the Brewers in 1992.
? At 90-72, the Brewers record their most wins in a season since they went 92-70 in 1992.....the team produces consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 1991 (83-79) and 1992.
? Ned Yost (83-67) is dismissed as manager with 12 games remaining on September 15.....he is replaced by Dale Sveum (7-5).
? The Brewers clinch the National League Wild Card on the last day of the season (September 28 vs. Chicago-NL) to qualify for the postseason for the first time since 1982.
? The Brewers fall to the Phillies, three games to one, in the NLDS.
? The Brewers reach the three-million mark in attendance for the first time in franchise history (3,068,458).
? As part of the new attendance record (since broken), the team has 44 sellouts, including 22 in a row from July 10 to September 1.
? Ben Sheets becomes the first pitcher in franchise history to start an All-Star Game.....he tosses a pair of scoreless innings in the game which was played at Yankee Stadium during the final season of the historic ballpark.
? In the biggest trade in franchise history, the Brewers acquire reigning American League Cy Young Award winner CC Sabathia from Cleveland on July 7 in exchange for outfielder Matt LaPorta, pitchers Zach Jackson and Rob Bryson and a player to be named (outfielder Michael Brantley).....Sabathia goes on to post an 11-2 record with a 1.65 ERA for the Brewers.
? Due to Hurricane Ike, the Cubs and Astros are forced to play two games at Miller Park on September 14 and 15.....Carlos Zambrano tosses the first no-hitter in Miller Park history with his 5-0 win on September 14.
? Ken Macha is named manager on October 30.
? The Brewers sign then all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman as a free agent on January 13.
? For the second consecutive season and second time in franchise history, the Brewers reach the three-million mark in attendance (3,037,451).
? Prince Fielder becomes the first Brewer to win the Home Run Derby as he defeats the Rangers' Nelson Cruz in the final round on July 13 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis during All-Star festivities.
? Prince Fielder breaks the franchise record for RBI in a season with his 127th, coming on a sacrifice fly on September 19 vs. Houston.....Fielder breaks the record in front of Astros manager and previous record-holder Cecil Cooper (1983).....he finishes with 141 RBI.