MILWAUKEE -- On a day when the Brewers became the first team in the Majors to clinch a playoff spot, they pulled off a comeback late Saturday night emblematic of the fight and spirit the team has shown throughout the season, battling through the ups and downs.
Stagnant for most of the game, the Brewers offense came alive late to stun the Cardinals in extra innings.
Down a run in the 10th, Caleb Durbin tied it with a double off Kyle Leahy, the fifth Cardinals pitcher, and Andruw Monasterio won it with a single that drove in Durbin for a 9-8 win, setting off a wild on-field celebration.
With the euphoric comeback, the Brewers remained two games ahead of the Phillies for the best record in the National League, but it didn’t come easy. It rarely does for this team.
“Tonight, obviously not our cleanest game, not the best version that we can play,” team leader Christian Yelich said. “But we found a way. We were resilient. We could have packed it up and been like it’s not our night. But that’s not really who we are. We kept fighting, kept finding a way. Guys kept getting on base and then next thing you know some cool stuff started happening.”
Yelich addressed the team during a brief champagne toast in the clubhouse after the game, recognizing the first step in what the team hopes will be a long postseason run.
“Appreciate that every time that you make the postseason, it’s an accomplishment,” Yelich said when asked about his message to the team. “You have to acknowledge that we accomplished something pretty special. We’re the first team to do it this year. We have bigger goals and want to have many more celebrations, but from where we were at the beginning of the season. We dug deep and found a way to compete and turn this thing around and play really good baseball with the guys in this room. Really proud of them. Hopefully this is the first toast of many.”
The Brewers’ extra innings hero, Monasterio, exemplifies the character of the team that has developed under the leadership of manager Pat Murphy. Monasterio doesn’t see the field much, but when he does, he has come through in the clutch time and again. He battled through a 10-pitch at-bat that led to his walk-off hit.
“To be honest, I don't try to be the hero in that moment,” Monasterio said. “I’m glad I did it, but my first thought was, ‘Be on base, or move the guy to third base. Give a better chance to my team to win.’ And then I got a base hit.”
The celebration with his teammates, on the field and in the clubhouse, is especially sweet for Monasterio.
“Everybody knows I don't get a lot of time, but I’m always ready,” he said. “That's my job. Be ready for any moment, play any position. Be ready for anything. I know what my role is, and I take it.”
Before they even took the field, the Brewers locked up their seventh postseason berth in the last eight years with the Mets’ loss to the Rangers on Saturday, making a fourth NL Central title in the last five years next in their sights.
What the team has accomplished to this point seemed incomprehensible in March when they found themselves sitting at 0-4 with the worst run differential in the Majors after matching the most runs allowed (47) in the first four games of any season in the Modern Era.
But the Brewers turned things around behind a group of scrappy young players led by a few high-character veterans. They took a brief moment to toast to their success so far this season after the walk-off win on Saturday.
Jackson Chourio, the star 21-year-old outfielder, was able to sip the champagne this year after having to settle for a non-alcoholic beverage during last season’s celebration.
“I don’t really like it that much, to be honest,” a smiling Chourio said through translator Daniel de Mondesert. “I tried it and it hurts my chest a little bit.”
But Chourio is still relishing the taste of success.
“It’s just very special,” he said. “Being able to go through these moments and celebrate with the team, it’s something that you can’t put a price on. It’s hopefully something we can continue to do for years to come.”
Murphy spoke glowingly of where his team stands at this point, knowing that they’ve got their focus set on more than just making the playoffs and perhaps, against considerable odds, of making a run at the Brewers first World Series appearance since 1982.
“They want to compete. They know they’re different,” he said. “They know they’re not a powerhouse that’s stacked like some of these other teams. It’s been a joy for me to be around a group of guys that has taken this uncommon mindset as serious as they have. Nothing on paper says we’re supposed to be where we are.”