Brewers: The Top Five Moments of a Crazy, Shortened 2020 Season

Even in a shortened season, the 2020 Brewers had their share of exciting moments. Let’s look back at some of the top ones from last season.

The 2020 Milwaukee Brewers season was certainly one for the ages. It had its highs and lows, it started and stopped and started again, but in the end the fact that it even happened was an accomplishment in and of itself. It was something that fans will likely never see again in their lifetimes.

Some fans may have considered it a disappointment due to the 29-31 record, their first losing record since 2016, and one of the worst offenses in team history. Others saw it as a success as they reached their third-straight postseason for the first time in franchise history.

In terms of the players, there was a wide range of performances as well. There were the disappointments (sorry, Christian Yelich), the pleasant surprises (hello, Daniel Vogelbach), and the utterly outstanding (we see you, Devin Williams).

Though it was at least something, Brewers fans only got 60 games with which to watch their favorite team in the shortened 2020 season. But even 60 games and 29 wins is enough to create a handful of moments that will be remembered for years.

From walkoffs to trips and falls, there were a good amount of top moments in 2020 from which to choose. So in chronological order, here are the top five moments from the Milwaukee Brewers’ 2020 season.

July 27th – Sogard wins first game in extras with new rule

The Brewers had just moved on to Pittsburgh to continue their season-opening six-game road trip after dropping two of their first three games to the Cubs in Chicago. The Pirates themselves had dropped two of three to the Cardinals on the road and were hosting Milwaukee for their home opener.

Brewers starting pitcher Adrian Houser had a strong outing before a combination of Devin Williams (who wouldn’t give up another earned run all year) and Alex Claudio would allow the Pirates to build a 5-1 lead after seven innings.

But Milwaukee wasn’t about to let this one slip away. In the top of the ninth, after Keston Hiura was hit by a pitch to walk in a run and Yelich drove another in on a groundout, Ryan Braun scorched a double to left for his first hit of the season, tying the game at five and eventually sending the game to extras as fans got to see MLB’s new runner on second rule for the first time.

Neither team was able to push a run across in the tenth, but MLB’s new rule paid off for the Brewers in the 11th. With Brock Holt starting the inning on second, Eric Sogard took the fifth pitch of the inning to left for a double, scoring Holt and capping off the scoring in a 6-5 comeback win.

Though Sogard would go on to have a disappointing finish to his 2020 season, this wouldn’t be the last time he would provide some late-game dramatics for the Brewers.

Aug. 6th – Yelich motors around for inside-the-park homer

Going into Milwaukee’s August 6th game against the Chicago White Sox, many Brewers were still struggling to find their footing, offensively. But none of those players were more notable than former MVP, Christian Yelich.

Through his first eight games played on the season prior to that day, Yelich had just three hits on the season to go with a frightening .088/.162/.206 slash line. 16 of his 37 plate appearances to that point had resulted in strikeouts.

Brewers manager Craig Counsell decided to give Yelich his first day off of the season on August 5th before inserting him back in the three hole on the 6th. That day to clear his head showed immediate results for the team’s best slugger.

Yelich drew walks in his first two plate appearances on the day, though the Brewers still found themselves down 2-1 going into the fifth. That was when Yelich provided one of the more entertaining plays of the entire 2020 season.

Inside-the-park home runs are already one of the more exciting plays that can happen in a baseball game and often begin when an outfielder gambles on a tough catch and loses. But few expect it to be the result of an outfielder getting caught in the foul netting like a fish!

Aug. 29th – Urias wipes out attempting celebratory Gatorade bath

Almost exactly a month after the aforementioned Brewers’ extra inning win against the Pirates in July, it was time for another Milwaukee comeback attempt from a late game deficit, this time at home. After this one, Pittsburgh would probably end up having nightmares of pitching to Sogard in the ninth.

This game featured multiple lead changes and three combined blown saves. But after Avisail Garcia put the Brewers ahead with a two-run double in the bottom of the eighth, a Milwaukee win seemed all but inevitable.

That was because Milwaukee closer Josh Hader hadn’t given up a hit or a run all season coming into that game. So naturally, he would go on to walk in two runs after walking five Pirates total in the inning, giving Pittsburgh a 6-5 lead once the smoke had cleared after his first blown save in 2020.

The Brewers still had a chance to deploy their “secret weapon” in the ninth, though. And after Jace Peterson drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the frame, Sogard came to the plate looking to come through in a big spot once again, which is exactly what he did.

It was an exciting moment for Brewers fans, as most walkoff wins are. But we didn’t add this game to our list because of the game-winning homer. It was what happened afterward that had many fans playing a certain video on loop.

Luis Urias had already began endearing himself to Brewers fans as one of the few consistent hitters at that point in the season. Unfortunately, it’s probably a postgame blooper that he’ll most remembered for in 2020.