It was one of the Milwaukee Brewers’ most satisfying regular season wins in recent memory. In the lair of one of their archrivals, against a team which had given the Brewers franchise some of their most painful moments, the Brew Crew gained a clinch of a playoff berth on the earliest date of the calendar in the first 49 years of the organization in Milwaukee.
The Brewers’ win over the St. Louis Cardinals on a balmy Wednesday night did not come easy. (Few great moments over the Cardinals ever did.)
John Gant and four Cardinals relievers only allowed two earned runs for the entire evening, both coming off of the bat of Travis Shaw. His fifth-inning looper to left field gave Milwaukee a 2-1 lead.
Jhoulys Chacin and four Milwaukee relievers would make sure that lead stood up.
Chacin, Xavier Cedeno, Corbin Burnes, Josh Hader and Jeremy Jeffress shut down St. Louis’ potent bats. Only three Cardinals reached base in the final five inning. None of them got past second base.
Jeffress fanned Tyler O’Neill in the final at bat of the night, and with the 2-1 Brewers triumph, they reached the postseason for the second time this decade, and at the earliest point on the calendar to that point in franchise history.