THE BREW CREW: Milwaukee heading to playoffs for first time in 25 years
Sabathia finishes what he starts
Posted: Sept. 28, 2008
It's over. It's finally over.
After 25 years of stumbling through the baseball wilderness, the Milwaukee Brewers emerged on the other side Sunday into bright daylight. Well, as bright as daylight can be when the roof is closed at Miller Park.
The 26th year did the trick. Welcome back to October baseball, Brewers fans. And welcome to the wild card, which didn't exist the last time Milwaukee made the playoffs.
"I like parties. If they're every 26 years, I guess that makes them all the more exciting," said coach Robin Yount, who played on the last Brewers team to spray champagne in the clubhouse on the final day of the season.
On a magical day in which the post-season stars finally aligned for the Brewers, the two things that had to happen actually happened. First, the Brewers took care of business by pulling out a tense yet electrifying 3-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs before an overflow bipartisan crowd of 45,299.
Then, in a surreal scene, the final two innings of the game between the New York Mets and Florida Marlins were shown on Miller Park's video screen. As Cubs fans filed out and went home, Brewers fans stayed to see if the Mets would complete their latest collapse and lose.
The Mets complied, bowing, 4-2, and the celebration began in the stands and home clubhouse. No tie-breaking game would be necessary tonight at Shea Stadium.
The Brewers were winners of the NL wild card. Next stop Philadelphia, where the best-of-five division series begins Wednesday against the NL East champs.
"It's unbelievable," said third baseman Craig Counsell, a Milwaukee native well aware of the team's quarter-century of futility in terms of making the post-season."I came back here two years ago because I thought this was a bunch of guys who could get this done. To validate that decision and make it come true for the people of Milwaukee, it's special. I'm so happy we could do it for everybody in this city."
It wouldn't have happened if not for the arrival of CC Sabathia, the big lefty who cemented his place in Brewers lore forever more. Acquired in early July from Cleveland in a move designed to put the team over the top, Sabathia proved to be exactly that.
Pitching on short rest for the third consecutive start, Sabathia tossed a four-hitter against the Cubs, who played many of their regulars despite having clinched the NL Central crown several days ago. Sabathia walked one and struck out seven, showing no weariness during his 122-pitch masterpiece.
When Derrek Lee grounded into a double play to end the game, Sabathia punched the air with his fist and let out a mighty roar as the already substantial noise in the ballpark became deafening.
"I didn't even know I was that excited," said Sabathia, who went 11-2 with a 1.65 earned run average and seven complete games in 17 starts with the Brewers. 'Sheeter' (Ben Sheets) said, 'I like the emotion that you showed.' I didn't know what he was talking about.
"The stadium was electric today. It was a lot of fun. I was just glad to be part of this big moment."
For the longest time, it appeared the day would end in disappointment for the Brewers. After Mike Cameron led off the bottom of the first with a single, the succession of relief pitchers the Cubs used to cover the game put down 18 consecutive hitters.
The Cubs managed just one run off Sabathia, and only because first baseman Prince Fielder let a grounder go through his legs for an error, setting up an RBI grounder by Ronny Cedeño in the second inning. Would that one run be enough to beat the Brewers?
"We couldn't get anything going," Counsell said. "Their pitchers were dominating. We didn't get anything to hit. Still, I think we knew we were going to get something going."
And, indeed, the Brewers did. Ray Durham's leadoff double in the seventh eventually led to a bases-loaded walk by Counsell off right-hander Michael Wuertz. The opportunity for a bigger rally slipped away, leaving the score tied, 1-1.
It didn't stay tied for long. Cameron was aboard via a one-out single in the eighth when Ryan Braun stepped to the plate against right-hander Bob Howry.
Braun remembered that Chicago's pitchers had been throwing first-pitch fastballs to him during the series, so he looked for one. And he got it. Braun crushed the pitch deep into the left-field bleachers, putting the Brewers on top and setting off pandemonium.
Braun pumped his first as he rounded the bases, then did a little skip as he crossed the plate.
"I just got caught up in the emotion," he said. "It's really difficult to describe. Just the emotion, from the crowd, from my teammates, the coaches. It was unbelievable."
Bill Hall, known for exotic greetings on the dugout steps when teammates return after home runs, didn't fare as well this time.
"I tried to do one but there was too much excitement," Hall said. "He came in, his helmet hit me in the head and I busted my lip. But it was a lot of fun. The pain is irrelevant right now, trust me."
That left it to Sabathia, who had ended the top of the eighth by spearing Koyie Hill's come-backer with his bare hand. Alfonso Soriano, batting .364 with five homers for his career off Sabathia, flied out to left.
Ryan Theriot followed with a single but Sabathia induced Lee to hit into one of the biggest double plays turned in club history. All that was left was to wait out the Mets' second consecutive end-of-season gag job.
"I can't express how I'm feeling," champagne-drenched owner Mark Attanasio said. "I'm so proud to be part of this effort, the whole group. "It's great to be able to do this for the city. Four years (as owner) seems like 20 years. So I can imagine what 26 years feels like."
For the Brewers and their fans, what it felt like was indescribable. It's over. And folks partied like it was 1982.
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