Jerry Augustine

[Michael Trzinski]

"It's a break-a-ball." And with that, we turn the spotlight on former Brewer left-handed pitcher - and Wisconsin native - Jerry Augustine.

Gerald Lee "Jerry" Augustine was born in 1952 in Kewaunee, Wisconsin. He grew up in Kewaunee as well, and stayed in state for college, heading to UW-La Crosse. The Brewers drafted Augie in the 15th round of the 1974 draft. He spent only 28 games in the minors before being brought up to the Big Leagues in 1975, becoming a fixture on the Brewers staff, first as a starter, then as a reliever, until 1984.

Augustine had a promising rookie campaign in '76, making the all-rookie team when he posted a 3.30 ERA and produced a 2.8 bWAR. But that was Augie's high-water mark. He spent a couple of more years as a starter, throwing a career high 209 innings in 1977 (while losing 18 games), but ultimately prove himself to be a remarkably average pitcher. He simply gave up too many hits, walked too many guys, and didn't strike enough batters.

As the Crew improved in the late 70s, Augustine was shifted to the bullpen, having a nice year in 1979 (1.4 bWAR). But subsequent campaigns saw Augie's numbers gradually decline, and after the 1984 season he was let go by Milwaukee. He bounced around in the minors for a couple of more seasons before finally retiring at age 33.

Jerry Augustine was never a particularly good pitcher, going 55-59 and producing a 4.23 ERA over parts of 10 seasons. Being a left-handed pitcher undoubtedly extended Augustine's career, but he never really was a key element of the club. For his career, he walked almost as many batters (340) as he struck out (348). He accumulated 4.1 WAR during his playing days.

But Augie's status in Brewer lore is not really measured by his numbers. He was a Wisconsin guy. He talked like a Wisconsin guy. He grew up in Wisconsin, went to college in Wisconsin, and spent his entire major league career in Wisconsin.

After retiring, he opened up his own insurance agency in West Allis - Jerry Augustine Agency, Inc. He further cemented his ties to the state by coaching the UW-Milwaukee baseball team for 12 seasons before joining Fox Sports Wisconsin as an analyst - a position he holds to this day.

Wisconsin-La Crosse inducted Augustine into its Wall of Fame in 1984, and the Brewers added him on their Wall of Honor in 2014.

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[Jim French Stepstool]

He was on the team during the transition from also-rans to contenders, which is sorta cool. Won thirteen games in George Bambergers' 1st year here, a highwater mark.

There must've been something in the water in Kewaunee at that time. The high school had Augustine, Jack Novak who spent three years in the NFL, and Dale Koehler who averaged a double-double his last two years playing basketball at UW. They were all within a couple years of each other.