The 5 best All-Star Game performances in Brewers history

The calendar has reached the middle of July, and baseball fans know what that means: it is time for the MLB All-Star Game (ASG). Originally, the Milwaukee Brewers had just one representative in this year's installment of the Midsummer Classic, Freddy Peralta, but in recent days, both Jacob Misiorowski and Trevor Megill were named as replacements, free of any controversy.

For Brewers fans wondering when they should lock in during tonight's game, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel revealed that Misiorowski will be throwing the seventh inning of tonight's contest, though that is subject to change.

With the ASG taking place tonight, it's an excellent time to look back on some of the best performances by Brewers in the Midseason Classic through the years. While any appearance in the ASG is worthy of attention, there have certainly been some moments that stick out among the rest.

Best performances by a Brewer in the All-Star Game in franchise history

1. Prince Fielder 2011

Prince Fielder's name always gets brought up around this time of the year. However, it's generally in relation to the towering home runs that he hit in each of his six appearances in the Home Run Derby. What often fails to be mentioned is that Fielder was a mainstay in the Midseason Classic throughout his 12-year career, making six All-Star Game appearances and taking home the ASG MVP honors in 2011.

14 years ago, Fielder slugged a three-run home run off CJ Wilson of the Texas Rangers in the bottom of the fourth inning of the 2011 ASG. The opposite-field jack, which just barely cleared the fence at Chase Field, put the National League in front 3-1. The NL went on to win the game by a score of 5-1 in large part thanks to Fielder’s big hit in the fourth.

To this day, Fielder remains the only Milwaukee Brewer to win the ASG MVP, making his 2011 showing in the coveted midseason showcase an easy pick for the best ASG performance in Brewers history.

2. Jonathan Lucroy 2014

Had the National League pulled off the win in 2014, the Brewers' All-Star catcher, Jonathan Lucroy, likely would have been named the ASG MVP. Unfortunately, the American League took home the win, and Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout added another trophy to his collection.

Lucroy, who led all of the major leagues in doubles (53) in 2014, added two more (which don't count towards his season total) during the Midseason Classic. However, Lucroy didn't just hit two doubles in the 2014 ASG; he hit two RBI-doubles and one that tied the game in the top of the fourth.

If not for Trout's go-ahead RBI double in the following inning, the Brewers may have had their second ASG MVP in franchise history. Lucroy's biggest competition for the award would have been his teammate Aramis Ramirez, who was in his second season with the Crew, and went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Even still, Lucroy's was one of the best performances by a Brewer in ASG history.

3. Freddy Peralta 2021

Freddy Peralta earned his second career All-Star nod this season, and despite him electing not to pitch in this year's game, the Brewers' ace impressed during his first appearance in the Midseason Classic. Back at Coors Field in 2021, the National League lost a 5-2 game to their American League counterparts, but that didn't stop Peralta from impressing on one of baseball's biggest stages.

After his former teammate, Corbin Burnes, who ended up being the losing pitcher in the game, surrendered two earned runs in his two innings of work earlier in the contest, Peralta entered in relief with the NL already down 5-2. Despite the deficit, Peralta gave NL fans something to remember as he struck out the side in his one frame of work.

Facing Adolis Garcia, JD Martinez, and Matt Olson, three major power threats, Peralta needed just 12 pitches to retire each of them on swinging strikeouts. Though it was just one inning of relief in a game that was already out of reach for the NL, Peralta made the most of his opportunity and is more than deserving of a spot on this list.

4. Lary Sorenson 1978

Want to know how much starting pitching has changed since the late 1970s? In Lary Sorenson's 1978 All-Star season, he tossed 17 complete games. Last season, Framber Valdez of the Houston Astros led all of the majors with two complete games thrown.

Interestingly enough, back in the era when starting pitchers threw more innings in regular season games, they also threw more in the All-Star Game. Whereas pitchers nowadays seldom throw more than one inning in the Midseason Classic, Sorenson tossed three innings of relief back in '78.

It went down as a loss for the American League, the league in which the Brewers competed back in the day, but Sorenson's relief outing was notable nonetheless. JR Radcliffe of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel pointed out in an article that he published on this date one year ago, that Sorenson, after allowing a leadoff single to Philadelphia Phillies legend Larry Bowa in his first inning of work, went on to retire nine straight batters.

The outing goes down as one of the best in Brewers ASG history, both for it's length and the efficiency of Sorenson. Interestingly enough, Sorenson retired his nine straight batters without the aid of a strikeout.

5. Christian Yelich 2018

In his first year with the Brewers, Christian Yelich made his first career ASG. Despite not starting the game, Yelich entered in the sixth and still collected three at-bats. In his second at-bat, Yelich sat on a curveball from long-time pitching legend Charlie Morton and sent it over the left field fence at Nationals Park in Washington D.C.

Yelich's long ball brought the National League to within two runs of the American League, but after the NL tied things up in the bottom of the ninth, the AL went on to win in extra innings. Despite the NL's loss, Yelich became just the second Brewer to homer in an ASG, joining Fielder who, as mentioned previously, hit a big home run in the 2011 Midseason Classic.

Hitting a homer in the ASG is an impressive feat, as players generally only get a handful of cracks at it throughout their careers. As proof, the Brewers have had 38 different players collect at least one at-bat in the ASG, and just two of them, Fielder and Yelich, have hit a home run.