Brewers: Newest Wall of Honor Inductees Impact Felt Today

The Brewers added three new members to the Wall of Honor on Friday night. Yovani Gallardo, Francisco Rodriguez, and Carlos Gomez were enshrined for their contributions to the team on the field. All three helped Milwaukee establish itself as a perennial contender for the Division, and the players acquired for them continue that winning tradition.

The Brewers Wall of Honor gained three new members as the Brewers enshrined Francisco Rodriguez, Yovani Gallardo, and Carlos Gomez

Francisco Rodriguez

Francisco Rodriguez came to Milwaukee for the first time in 2011, when he was acquired to served as a set-up man for John Axford. Rodriguez would ultimately spend parts of five seasons in Milwaukee, recording a 2.91 ERA, recording 95 saves, and a 9.6 K/9 in just over 250 innings, qualifying for the Wall of Honor given his total appearances.

When Rodriguez left Milwaukee for the final time after the 2015 season, he was traded to Detroit for Javier Betancourt and a PTBNL. Betancourt never made it to Milwaukee, but the longest tenured Brewer came over as the player-to-be-named-later, Manny Pina.

Pina has been a reliable catcher ever since coming over, he and Omar Narvaez combine to create one of the best catching duos in baseball, and his presence in the clubhouse can be seen through his interactions with players such as Freddy Peralta, Luis Urias, Willy Adames, and others.

Yovani Gallardo

Gallardo will go down one of the best pitchers in franchise history. Through his eight seasons in Milwaukee, he had a 3.69 ERA, a 3.71 FIP in nearly 1,300 innings. The 2010 All-Star is the only pitcher to record 200 strikeouts in 3 separate seasons. He qualified for the Wall of Honor because of his innings pitched total.

In January of 2015 Gallardo was traded to Texas for Corey Knebel, Marcos Diplan, and Luis Sardinas. Knebel developed into a star reliever in Milwaukee, serving as a lockdown closer in 2017. He ultimately finished his time in Milwaukee with a 3.20 ERA over 5 seasons with 57 saves, and an eye popping 12.8 K/9. He was traded to Los Angeles following the 2020 season, after rehabbing from Tommy John Surgery. Sardinas spent time with Milwaukee in 2015, but was ultimately traded to Seattle for Ramon Flores.

Carlos Gomez

Originally acquired in exchange for fellow Wall of Honor inductee, J.J. Hardy, Gomez became a fan favorite in Milwaukee. He scored perhaps the most iconic run in franchise history in the 10th inning on a T-Clutch smash hit up the middle. Gomez also won a Gold Glove in 2013, and was a two-time All-Star.

Carlos Gomez was traded to Houston in 2015 alongside Mike Fiers in exchange for Brett Phillips, Domingo Santana, Adrian Houser, and Josh Hader. All four of those players made it to the Big Leagues, and played important roles in the Brewers re-emergence as a contender. Phillips was included in a trade to bring Mike Moustakas over from Kansas City. Domingo Santana put together a 30 home run season in 2017, before being traded to Seattle in 2019. Houser has emerged as a solid starter, who is often overlooked in the face of the Brewers Big Three. And Josh Hader has been the best reliever in baseball since 2018.

Another connection to the 2021 team for Gomez comes from his relationship with Willy Adames. Both are from the same town in the Dominican Republic, and Adames wears 27, just as Gomez once did.

All three men being recognized are deserving of this honor. They all played key roles in bringing Milwaukee back to contention, and their legacy still lives on the hallowed diamond on American Family Field.