The 2024 MLB season continues into October once again for the Milwaukee Brewers but, no matter what happens in these next few weeks, we’ve already seen a fair number of moments to remember. For over a decade, I’ve been maintaining a “Today in Wisconsin Baseball History” calendar, a collection of notable transactions, games, and moments, which I occasionally share on Twitter. As has often been the case in recent years, the 2024 season provided lots of new entries in that space. In lieu of a season recap, what follows is a brief look at the first 22 items—the good, the bad and the weird—added to that calendar during the 2024 season. Part two of this feature, containing the notable events from July through October, will run following the conclusion of the Brewers’ postseason appearance.
February 1 – So Long, Mr. Burnes
Not long before the Brewers loaded up the equipment truck for Phoenix, they announced that one of their most prominent performers wouldn’t have a locker there: Three-time All-Star Corbin Burnes, the 2021 National League Cy Young Award winner and then-owner of the number five spot on the franchise’s all-time strikeout list, was traded to the Orioles for pitcher DL Hall and infielder Joey Ortiz. Burnes had one year of team control remaining and was due to become a free agent following the season, but the move combined with the organization’s relatively quiet offseason generated significant consternation about their commitment to trying to repeat in the NL Central.
March 28 – Waiting Really Did Turn Out to Be the Hardest Part
What would have been one of the earliest Opening Days in Brewers franchise history turned out to be a tease, as inclement weather in New York led to the Mets making the decision to postpone the first game of the season and launch the campaign the following day instead. The rest of the NL Central got their games in, however, including wins for the Pirates and Reds. As such, the Brewers’ FanGraphs playoff odds remained low at 30.1%. That, as it turned out, would be the low water mark of the entire season.
March 29 – Chourio’s First In A Season Of Firsts
When the Brewers and Mets finally did take the field on that Friday afternoon, it was one of the most anticipated moments in recent franchise history: Top prospect Jackson Chourio was immediately thrust into the spotlight as the leadoff hitter in the top of the first inning of his MLB debut. Chourio walked and stole second in the first inning, but was stranded. He got his first MLB hit later in the game. Four Brewers pitchers (including Freddy Peralta in his first Opening Day start) combined to allow just one hit in a 3-1 victory, giving the 12 Brewers who were on an Opening Day roster for the first time a day to remember.
April 13 – Swinging All The Hot Bats
The Brewers went unbeaten across their first five series in 2024, and for a bit it looked like Milwaukee’s offense might be much improved: An 11-5 win over the Orioles on this day improved them to 10-3 on the season and they had scored 87 runs in those 13 games, the most over a similar span since the 1987 team went unbeaten in their first 13 games. This was their sixth consecutive game scoring seven or more runs, which also tied a franchise record, and for the first time this season, the Brewers were alone in first place in the NL Central.
April 15 – And Koenig Makes a Thousand
While many players have worn a Brewers uniform over nearly six decades of history, the number has increased rapidly in recent years: The franchise record for players used in a single season was 53, set by the expansion Seattle Pilots in 1969, until 2021 when the Brewers blew it away by using 61 unique players, then they used 58 in 2023 and 56 more in 2024. Jared Koenig was only the 31st player to appear in a game for the Brewers this season when he was summoned from the bullpen for his debut on April 15, but his debut was significant for another reason: He was the 1000th unique player to appear for the Brewers since they moved to Milwaukee (hat tip to Jack Stern for noticing this one).
April 21 – Sweepless No More
The rivalry between the Brewers and Cardinals is relatively new by MLB standards, as aside from the 1982 World Series, the two teams had never met before the Brewers moved to the National League in 1999. Nonetheless, the two teams have played over 400 regular season games and until this day, the Brewers had never swept a series in St. Louis.
Across three games at Busch Stadium the Crew racked up a 2-1, 10-inning victory, a 12-5 slugfest, and a 2-0 pitcher’s duel, leaving St. Louis without suffering a loss for the first time ever. That Sunday win moved them to 14-6 on the season and two games clear of the field in the Central, a high water mark that remained for nearly a month.
April 23 – Myers’ Rough Introduction
The 2011 Brewers won the NL Central and got through an entire 162-game schedule with just six starting pitchers. That wasn’t that long ago, but the game certainly has changed since then. When Tobias Myers got the call to make his MLB debut for the Brewers, he was already the ninth different pitcher to start in the Brewers’ first 22 games. Former Brewer Andrew McCutchen was right there to welcome him.
Myers settled in that day, allowing just that one run across five innings, and has gone on to become a mainstay in the Brewers rotation. He, Freddy Peralta, and Colin Rea are the only Brewers who started more than 14 games in 2024.
April 29 – Bottoming Out
The Brewers couldn’t get anything going on a Monday series opener against the Rays, managing just three hits in a 1-0 home loss in a game where the only run scored during a first inning double play. The loss dropped the Brewers to 17-11 on the season and ended a 17-day run in first place in April, as the Cubs won that day to take a half-game lead. The Brewers were only in second place for one day, and it would be the last time they looked up at anyone in the standings this season.
May 1 – A Wild Ending For Uribe
With Devin Williams unavailable to start the season, flame-throwing 23-year-old Abner Uribe seemed likely to get a shot to shine in the late innings. Uribe had already recorded his first MLB save in 2023 and got his second on Opening Day, but things unraveled from there. He struggled with command and allowed 25 runners across 11 1/3 innings in a span of 11 appearances that ended abruptly during the Rays series. Uribe was on the mound in the eighth inning of the Saturday game in that series when he recorded an out against Rays outfielder Jose Siri at first base, then threw a punch during an ensuing argument and was ejected from the game.
While possible discipline on the incident was still pending Uribe actually faced the Rays again the next day, allowing a run on three baserunners. That would be the last time Brewers fans saw Uribe this season: He was optioned to the minors following the game (his six game suspension, later reduced to four on appeal, will still have to be served at a future date) and later underwent season-ending knee surgery while still with AAA Nashville.
May 3 – Murphamania Runnin’ Wild
One of the 2024 season’s biggest storylines actually started in November, when the Cubs announced they’d hired Craig Counsell away from the Brewers after nine seasons and a franchise record 707 wins. That narrative came roaring back to the forefront on this Friday night in Chicago as new manager and longtime Counsell mentor Pat Murphy and the Brewers visited the Cubs for the first time this season.
In the late innings of this game, however, another of the 2024 Brewers’ key storylines took over as four batters singled and stole second base during a three-run eighth inning. Jackson Chourio, William Contreras, Willy Adames, and Jake Bauers all reached and stole, with Chourio, Contreras, and Adames coming around to score on the following hit. The 2024 Brewers would go on to steal more than 200 bases for just the second time in franchise history and the first time in 32 years.
May 7 – Adames’ (First) Storybook Blast
It’s the kind of scenario every kid imagines as they grow up playing baseball in the backyard: Ninth inning, trailing, two outs, go-ahead run at the plate, a home run would win the game. While it might be a common occurrence in children’s imaginations, it doesn’t actually happen that often in MLB games. The Brewers have just 24 two-out, final inning, come-from-behind home runs in franchise history and at this point it had been more than four years since the last one.
On this day, however, it was meant to be. With two outs in the top of the ninth, William Contreras doubled off Royals closer James McArthur, then Gary Sanchez walked to bring Willy Adames to the plate. Adames has hit a bunch of three-run homers this season (more on that in the second installment), but it’s hard to find one more dramatic than this.
May 9 – Atop The Mountain
In Milwaukee, this Thursday night was more of the same: The Brewers scored three in the bottom of the first inning and rolled to a 7-1 win over the Cardinals, the fourth of what would turn out to be six consecutive wins over their longtime rivals to open the season. Meanwhile in Chicago, the Cubs had the night off. The Brewers’ win on a Cubs off day moved them into sole possession of first place in the NL Central, and they’ve had it every day since. All told, the Brewers spent 180 days in first place in 2024, easily another franchise record.
May 10 – Throwing Gas(ser)
After using nine different starting pitchers in their first 22 games, the Brewers made it almost three weeks without needing another. Pitcher 10 was Robert Gasser, and he had a debut for the ages. He worked six shutout innings in his MLB debut and outdueled veteran Lance Lynn as the Brewers blew out the Cardinals 11-2. Gasser was just the fifth Brewer ever to throw six or more shutout innings in an MLB debut, evoking memories of Steve Woodard outdueling Roger Clemens in 1997. Gasser appeared poised to go straight from debut to rotation mainstay, posting a 2.57 ERA across his first five MLB starts. Eventually he also, however, was diagnosed with an elbow injuring requiring surgery, and the Brewers’ pitching carousel continued to spin.
May 25 – Every Day I’m Opening (Opening)
On a Friday night in Boston, the Brewers turned to another option to start a game, using lefty reliever Jared Koenig as the opener in an eventual 7-2 win over the Red Sox. The move went so well that the Brewers went right back to it on Saturday, allowing Koenig to face the first four batters of that afternoon’s 6-3 win. Koenig was the first Brewers pitcher to start back-to-back games since Zack Greinke did it in three in a row in 2012.
May 27 – The Counsell Homecoming
Whether fans thought new Cubs manager Craig Counsell was a local hero who did the right thing for his family or a traitor of the highest order when he left for the Cubs, fans had plenty of time to make plans for his return to American Family Field. The Cubs’ first game in Milwaukee wasn’t until the Brewers’ 53rd game of the season, and a Memorial Day crowd let Counsell have it during a pre-game video tribute.
The Brewers also got the last laugh during the game, scoring five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to break a scoreless tie on their way to a 5-1 victory. Willy Adames also had the big blow in this one, hitting a three-run homer off Hayden Wesneski.
May 31 – Dirtying The Sox
The 2024 Chicago White Sox, potentially the worst team in the modern history of Major League Baseball, are going to show up on the wrong side of a lot of team highlight reels this season. They followed the Cubs into Milwaukee in the last week of May and a Brewers team that was already hot got even hotter, connecting for 23 hits in a 12-5 rout. Those 23 hits were the most the Brewers had picked up in a single game since 2010 and the second most any team picked up in any game this season (the White Sox also gave up 24 to the Red Sox a week later). Joey Ortiz, Blake Perkins, Jake Bauers, and Rhys Hoskins each had two hits in this game for the Brewers, while Brice Turang, William Contreras and Sal Frelick each had three, and Christian Yelich had five. The Brewers had a hit in every inning, including eight hits in the seventh.
June 11 – A New Nation
The Brewers continued to churn through starting pitching options and on this night they turned to one of their top prospects: Carlos Rodriguez joined the team to start against Blue Jays ace Yusei Kikuchi, who combined with four relievers to shut the Brewers out in a 3-0 victory. Rodriguez’s stay with the Brewers was brief, but it was historically significant. He’s the 16th Nicaragua-born player to appear in the majors, but the first to do it as a Brewer.
June 14 – A Rough Finish
In a season that produced plenty of late-inning drama, not all of the bounces went the Brewers’ way. On this night the Brewers went to the bottom of the ninth trailing 6-3 to the Reds, but quickly got something going: A pair of singles, an error, and a walk plated the first run and it appeared Jackson Chourio had tied the game with a two-run single, but the final run was overturned on replay. With the tying run now on third base, Blake Perkins popped up a two-out bunt attempt and the Reds escaped with the victory.
June 15 – Stealing in Pairs
The next night the Brewers’ baserunning was the story once again, as one of the most active stealing teams in franchise history pulled off a rare feat. In the bottom of the second inning, Blake Perkins reached on a fielder’s choice and stole second, becoming one of just a handful of players in franchise history to steal a base in four consecutive games. The Brewers weren’t done, however: In the third inning, Christian Yelich hit an infield single and also stole second, and it was also the fourth consecutive game where he had stolen a base. That feat has only been performed 18 times in franchise history, but two Brewers did it in the same four games.
June 18 – A Milestone Bonanza
The Brewers beat the Angels 6-3 on this night in a game that has no fewer than four Today in Brewers History calendar entries:
• Christian Yelich got the Brewers on the board with a solo home run in the top of the first inning, the 200th of his career. He’s one of just 35 active players in the 200 homer club.
• In the top of the fourth inning, Jackson Chourio hit an RBI double to right, then came all the way around to score on an error in the outfield. Statcast tracked Chourio running the bases in just 14.75 seconds.
• In the top of the seventh, Willy Adames struck out to end the inning, giving him at least one strikeout in 18 consecutive games. That’s tied for the fifth longest streak by a non-pitcher in Brewers history, but Adames still batted .273 with .333 on-base and .561 slugging in those games.
• Finally, in the bottom of the ninth, Sal Frelick closed out the game with a play for the ages, robbing what would have been a game-tying three-run homer to record the final out.
June 26 – Seeing It All At Once
Fans who came out to see the Brewers’ Wednesday night game against the Rangers got to see several rare occurrences:
• The Brewers took the lead in the bottom of the third on a Jake Bauers grand slam, his second of the season.
• They then re-tied the game in the bottom of the fourth when Jackson Chourio hit an inside-the-park home run, the first of his career.
• Finally, the Brewers won the game in the bottom of the tenth inning on Andruw Monasterio’s walkoff single.
• Christian Yelich also stole a base in this game, giving him the relatively rare status of having exactly 200 homers and 200 steals for his career.
June 30 – So Many Slams
The Bauers grand slam mentioned above was the fourth of 10 by the Brewers this season, but more than half of them came in rapid succession. Brice Turang hit one against the Padres on June 22, then Rhys Hoskins hit one against the Rangers two days later, Bauers hit the aforementioned slam two days after that, and Jackson Chourio did it to the Cubs two days after that. Finally, on this day at Wrigley Field, it was Turang’s turn again, and this blast off Kyle Hendricks gave the Brewers five slams in a span of just eight days.