From 20-year-old Chourio to 90-year-old Uecker, a celebration for all ages
Adam McCalvy
@AdamMcCalvyMILWAUKEE -- It was 20-year-old Jackson Chourio who got the party started at American Family Field with a leadoff triple in the bottom of the ninth inning. But the Brewers couldn¡¯t really celebrate Wednesday¡¯s 2-1 win over the Phillies on the day they clinched another National League Central crown until 90-year-old Bob Uecker made his way down to the clubhouse from the radio booth.
Seventy years might separate the two, but they were both integral to Milwaukee¡¯s fourth division title in the last seven years.
¡°There is no one who epitomizes a champion the way this man does right here,¡± said Brewers manager Pat Murphy, slinging an arm around Uecker in the center of a champagne-soaked locker room. ¡°What an example for us to be with every single day.¡±
As usual, Uecker knew just what to say.
¡°I peed my pants!¡± he yelled.
With that, everyone could properly celebrate what they hope is the year Uecker and Brewers fans everywhere have been waiting for since 1982, the last time Milwaukee made it to the World Series. Back then, Robin Yount was known as The Kid. Now, that¡¯s often what they call Chourio.
And naturally, based on what he¡¯s been able to do for the Brewers since turning around his rookie season at the start of June, it was Chourio who sparked them on Wednesday night.
¡°I called that,¡± Freddy Peralta said. ¡°I told [fellow pitcher Frankie] Montas, ¡®The least that¡¯s going to happen here in this at-bat is a double.¡¯ And look, he got a triple.¡±
With the teams tied at 1-1 since the fifth inning, Chourio¡¯s leadoff triple off Phillies reliever Carlos Est¨¦vez sparked a winning rally in a game the Brewers badly wanted to take, both because it meant they picked up a game on the Phillies in the overall NL standings for postseason seeding purposes, and because they knew from last year¡¯s experience that it feels much better to celebrate a division crown after a victory.
The Phillies intentionally walked William Contreras before Garrett Mitchell struck out and Willy Adames walked to bring up Jake Bauers, who is hitting .196 this season. But his batting average didn¡¯t matter in the moment, as Bauers turned on a 98.3 mph fastball and pulled it into right field for a walk-off single.
¡°The best way to put it is this is the most fun celebration I¡¯ve ever been a part of,¡± Chourio said through translator Daniel de Mondesert. ¡°And there¡¯s more to come.¡±
Chourio earned the right to celebrate after proving the Brewers right when they signed him to a record-setting, eight-year, $82 million contract in December. No team had ever made that kind of commitment to a player who¡¯d yet to set foot in the Majors, and Chourio¡¯s youth showed as he compiled a .575 OPS through June 1.
On June 2, he hit a three-run homer in a win over the White Sox and never looked back, slashing .306/.365/.550 in the 359 plate appearances since. Were he of age, those are the kind of numbers that warrant a swig of champagne, but Chourio won¡¯t turn 21 until next March, so the Brewers instead wheeled into the clubhouse a stroller covered in a Chourio shirt and stocked with Chourio bobbleheads -- along with non-alcoholic champagne and beer.
¡°Those are the kinds of risks an organization like this has to take,¡± Brewers owner Mark Attanasio said. ¡°We¡¯re not able to sign the mega free agents. We did a huge amount of work on Jackson, but we found out what kind of person he was, what kind of family he came from, and we believed in him.¡±
Up in the radio booth, it was Uecker on the mic when Chourio delivered. All season, Uecker has called some of the rookie¡¯s greatest moments, just like he did for Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, and Paul Molitor and Robin Yount.
¡°It¡¯s more of a friendship thing,¡± Uecker told Bally Sports Wisconsin¡¯s Sophia Minnaert amid confetti on the field. ¡°It¡¯s not where I¡¯m the local broadcaster anymore, I¡¯m just one of the guys.¡±