The Milwaukee Brewers were on life support as the California Angels owned a two games to none lead in the 1982 American League Championship Series.
Familiar, pilsner and bratwurst-filled surroundings then gave a necessary lift to the downtrodden Brew-Crew.
The Brewers responded on the mound, as veteran Don Sutton protected Milwaukee’s fledgling hopes with seven shutout innings before allowing three runs in the eighth.
But by that time, Milwaukee had padded their lead to a safe level.
Cecil Cooper’s fourth-inning double to right field scored Robin Yount, and sacrifice flies by Gorman Thomas and Don Money expanded the lead to 3-0.
In the seventh, Paul Molitor smashed a shot from the shadowed home plate to the sun-splashed left field stands, and Milwaukee built a 5-0 advantage.
Pete Ladd took care of the final four outs of the contest, and by the end of that unseasonably warm Friday afternoon, the Brewers’ hopes for a World Series berth were very much alive.