Top Brewers Moments In Miller Park History: The Yelich Bi-Cycle Game

These are the final days of the Brewers home field being named Miller Park before becoming American Family Field. We’re going through all of the best moments in Miller Park history.

Starting on January 1st, the Brewers home stadium will no longer be called Miller Park, but instead will be called American Family Field. Despite fan uproar about the change, it’s going to happen. The stadium has been named Miller Park for 20 years and has brought some incredible memories to Brewers fans.

We are going to be remembering some of the most important moments that came from this stadium and tell the stories of these days. Let’s continue with the day Christian Yelich hit for his second cycle of 2018.

The Christian Yelich Bi-Cycle Game (September 17, 2018)

Who could ever forget that Monday night in September 2018 when Christian Yelich made MLB history? I was one of the fortunate Brewers fans to be in attendance that historic night alongside my dad.

As my dad and I took the hour and a half drive from Janesville, Wi to Milwaukee, WI we had no idea what we were about to witness that night when the Milwaukee Brewers were taking on the Cincinnati Reds. We walked into Miller Park and headed up the escalator up to the 400 level and settled in for what we hoped would be another win for the Brew Crew who were in the mix for the NL Central crown.

We get into the bottom of the first and Yelich comes up for his first at bat of the game facing Anthony DeSclafani, who had just retired Curtis Granderson. The last time the Brewers and Reds faced off Yelich had hit his first career cycle going 6-for-6 in a 13-12 win over the Reds on August 29, 2018. Yelich fell behind in the count 0-2 but reached as he ripped a single up the middle and history was set into motion.

Yelich’s next at bat came in the bottom of the 3rd inning with Curtis Granderson on first with one out in a 0-1 count when Yelich hit a double down the right field line that hit the first base bag, Granderson did not score on the double but was driven in on a Lorenzo Cain sacrifice fly and the Brewers led 1-0 after 3.

At this moment of the game my dad and I had not even thought of the fact that Yelich could hit for the cycle again due to the fact that Yelich got a single and a double in almost every game after the All Star break in 2018.

Both pitchers for the Brewers and the Reds were pitching well that night. Wade Miley threw five innings of shutout ball before being pinch hit for in the bottom of the 5th and DeSclafani had only allowed the one run through four before giving up a solo shot to Domingo Santana which gave the Brewers a 2-0 lead. Yelich came up for his 3rd at-bat when yet again Granderson was on first with no one out in the bottom of the 5th.

Yelich did not even give DeSclafani the chance to get ahead in the count swinging at the first pitch. At the crack of the bat, the crowd knew there was a chance for the ball to leave but from my vantage point we could not see if the ball was hooking foul or not but the eruption of the crowd told us all we needed to know as the ball stayed just inside the right field foul line for a two run home run and a 4-0 lead for the Brewers.

There was only one piece to the puzzle left for Yelich to achieve what no one had ever done before in MLB history: Hit two cycles in the same season against the same team.

As Yelich came up for his fourth at-bat of the game that’s when my dad, myself and every other Brewers fan in attendance realized what could happen. The scoreboard image of Yelich and the recap of his night told the story, first inning single, third inning double, and fifth inning home run.

With the speedster Billy Hamilton playing centerfield that night it was no guarantee that a ball to the gap was going to be a triple. There were two runners on for the Brewers, Jonathan Schoop and Curtis Granderson, there was one out and it got to a 1-2 count on Yelich.

Jesus Reyes threw a 89 MPH fastball down and right into Yelich’s sweet spot as he ripped it right into the right center gap and Yelich was off to the races. The slow crescendo of the crowd getting louder and louder as Yelich rounded the bases gives me goosebumps just like when I was there yelling “Go! Go! Go!” Yelich rounded second and the throw was coming home trying to get Granderson at the plate.

When the umpire threw up the safe sign at home the crowd at Miller Park erupted, chants of “MVP!” echoed throughout the ballpark as Yelich tipped his helmet to the crowd as he stood on third after becoming the first player in MLB history to hit for the cycle twice in one season against the same team.

After the inning was over the crowd stood as Yelich came off the field from third and the crowd was still chanting “MVP! MVP! MVP!” Yelich was eventually pulled out of the game when the Brewers were up 8-0 but the crowd could not contain its excitement for what they had just witnessed that night.

The buzz all around the ballpark after the game was fun to be apart of, fans walking out side by side talking about what they had just been apart of, going through each at bat over and over in awe of how great of a player Yelich truly was and how he was on his way to an MVP season.

Though this was one of the most recent historic moments in Miller Park history, it will always be one of the top moments people look back on and recall whenever Brewers fans talk about the great moments of Miller Park as the Brewers will go on to make some more historic moments in American Family Field.