History of the Milwaukee Brewers

The modern Milwaukee Brewers should not be confused with the original Milwaukee Brewers of 1901 that eventually became the Baltimore Orioles. The modern-day Brewers began in Seattle in 1968 as the Seattle Pilots. However, they only played in the major leagues for one year, 1969, and then, after extensive negotiations, maneuverings and ownership changes, they moved to Milwaukee and the team's name changed to the Milwaukee Brewers. The Seattle Pilots started off badly, and ended their first season with a 64-98 record.

1970-1979

Originally part of the American League West division, the Brewers switched to the American League East division in 1972. Once this change was made, the Brewers' ownership and management began working on acquiring better players. From 1972 to 1975, the Brewers acquired future Hall of Famer Robin Yount and Milwaukee's favorite baseball player, Hank Aaron.

The Brewers started playing their home games at the Milwaukee County Stadium in 1970. They struggled in their first eight years, with no winning seasons from 1970 through 1977. They had four managers during those years - Dave Bristol (1970-1972). Del Crandall (1972-1975), Harvey Kuenn (1975), and Alex Grammas (1976-1977).

George Bamberger took over as manager of the Brewers in 1978, and he led them to their first winning season with 93 wins and 69 losses. That year, they added future Hall of Famer Paul Molitor to their roster. They had an even better season in 1979, when they had 95 wins and 66 losses. However, neither season was good enough to get the Brewers to the postseason.

1980-1989

The Brewers started the 1980s with four winning seasons. In 1982, under the leadership of managers Buck Rodgers and Harvey Kuenn, they won their first AL East division title with 95 wins and 67 losses. They won the AL pennant by defeating the Los Angeles Angels in the NLCS, but they lost their first World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals.

After 1982, the Brewers fell to the bottom section of the league, where they stayed until 1987. They had a brief resurgence in 1987 and 1988, with winning seasons, but it was not enough for them to reach the playoffs. The Brewers faltered again in 1989, finishing with 81 wins and 81 losses.

1990-1999

The Brewers struggled in the 1990s, with just two winning seasons at the start of the decade. They had 83 wins and 79 losses in 1991, and 92 wins and 70 losses in 1992. Tom Trebelhorn managed them in 1990 and 1991, and he was followed by Phil Garner, who managed the team from 1992 to 1999.

In 1997, the Brewers moved to the National League Central division, a move that brought more needed funds to the team. However, it didn't bring winning seasons or top players to the team.

2000-2009

In the first decade of the new century, the Brewers' original owner, Bud Selig, sold the team. Mark Attanasio, the new owner, acquired new young players, including Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, and Rickie Weeks, to rejuvenate the team.

The Brewers moved their home games to Miller Park in 2001.

Davey Lopes managed the Brewers from 2000 to 2002. He was replaced by Jerry Royster in 2002, and Ned Yost was next in 2003. None of these managers were able to lead the team to winning seasons from 2000 through 2006.

After fourteen years without a winning season, the Brewers, under Ned Yost, finally had winning seasons in 2007 and in 2008. They had 90 wins and 72 losses in 2008 and they won a Wild Card spot. They lost the NLDS to the Philadelphia Phillies. Ken Macha took over as manager the following year.

2010-2018

After another losing season in 2010, Macha was replaced as manager by Ron Roenicke. In his first season as manager, Roenicke led the team to 96 wins and 66 losses. They won the NL Central division title in 2011. They defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLDS, but they lost the NLCS to the Cardinals.

Roenicke led the Brewers to winning seasons again in 2012 and 2014, but they didn't get to the postseason. They finished in third place in the NL Central division both of those years and in fourth place in 2013. Roenicke was fired and Craig Counsell took over as manager in 2015.

Counsell and the Brewers struggled in 2015 and 2016, finishing in fourth place in the NL Central division both years. They had 68 wins and 94 losses in 2015 and 73 wins and 89 losses in 2016.

The Brewers had a much better season in 2017, finishing with 86 wins and 76 losses and in second place in the NL Central division. In 2018, with 96 wins and 67 losses, they tied the Chicago Cubs for first place in the NL Central division and the best record in the National League. They won a tie-breaker game against the Cubs to go on to postseason play. They then defeated the Colorado Rockies in the NLDS, but they lost the NLCS to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Milwaukee Brewers
Baseball Reference - Milwaukee Brewers