Video game legend sparks Brewers rally in series opener with Giants

Pocket pancakes, woodpeckers, quesadillas, and turtles have all had their place in Milwaukee Brewers lore over the past couple of seasons. On Monday night, a new hero may have entered the conversation -- one that a huge demographic of fans will likely recognize.

In the series opener against the San Francisco Giants at American Family Field, the away team struck first, courtesy of a two-run home run off the bat of Matt Chapman in the second inning. Jackson Chourio ranged back to the wall, tried valiantly to bring the ball back in, and nearly succeeded. However, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, and the ball barely sailed over Chourio's glove and over the right-center field wall.

Facing a deficit, Milwaukee came up to bat in the bottom of the second, looking to strike back. In addition to the actual baseball being played, a famous video game figure made his way down the stairs and grabbed himself a front-row seat near the Brewers' dugout. Soon after, the guys on the field had a massive response.

Backyard Baseball legend Pablo Sanchez sparks seven-run rally in Brewers' series opener against Giants

Among the numerous theme nights and promotions around baseball, the Backyard Sports franchise has seen a major revival over the past 12 months, prompting teams across the league to partner with the game franchise for Backyard Baseball theme nights. The Brewers are hosting such a night tomorrow, June 3rd, where a special ticket package gets you into the game and earns you an exclusive bobblehead of the greatest player in the game, Pablo Sanchez.

Backyard Baseball started as a PC game in the late 1990s, initially consisting of various fictional characters, like Sanchez, playing baseball in a variety of backyard ballparks. Eventually, it expanded to include MLB players shrunk down to kid versions of themselves and helped an entire generation of children fall in love with baseball. The series also expanded to the NBA, NFL, NHL, and even skateboarding.

The TV broadcast was showing off the bobblehead while a giant Pablo Sanchez mascot sat near the Brewers dugout, and on the field, Milwaukee posted a very "Brewersy" rally. The inning started with Jake Bauers challenging a 3-2 pitch that was initially ruled a strike three, but turned into a walk.

Then, Sal Frelick sent a ball into the gap, that brought Bauers all the way around the bases, beating out a throw home with a head-first slide. Luis Rengifo kept the train moving with a line drive into left center that scored Frelick, tying the game. David Hamilton did what he does best and laid down a bunt to advance Rengifo, but was able to find the gap between Chapman and starting pitcher Landen Roupp and reach base on the play. The next batter, Christian Yelich, worked a walk, loading the bases for Chourio.

Chourio sent a liner to the right field corner, scoring Rengifo and Hamilton, giving Milwaukee a 4-2 advantage, but the Brewers weren't done there. Brice Turang, who entered the night with an 0-21 slump at the plate and collected his second extra-base hit of the evening, clearing the bases with a two-RBI triple. The Brewers' second baseman came in to score on the next pitch on a William Contreras sac fly. When all was said and done, Milwaukee sent 10 batters to the plate in the inning, grabbing a 7-2 lead. And it was all thanks to the video game legend sitting in the front row.

Social media reacts to Pablo Sanchez' rally-sparking appearance at American Family Field

Obviously, a seven-run inning is enough to get fans talking on social media. But when you mix in a childhood icon, the reaction is even louder from fans and media alike:

Milwaukee used the big inning to coast to a 16-2 victory in the series opener against the Giants. Their offense, despite scoring 16 runs, did so without the help of a home run, continuing what has been a common trend for the Brew Crew this year.

Tickets for the Backyard Baseball theme night are still available on the Brewers website, though after this performance, they may go quick. Milwaukee was the lone NL Central team that played on Monday to win, and continued a red-hot month of May into the first day of June.

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