The 2007 Brewers Set The Stage For Future Success After 25 Years Of Futility

Sure, the 1992 squad closed to within two games of the Toronto Blue Jays with two games left in the regular season, but they lost twice to the Oakland Athletics to fall short. The 1982 Suds Series loss gave Milwaukee players (and their fans) a hangover that lasted until 2007.

In 2006, the Brewers won their first five games and went 14-11 in April but never had another winning month, finishing with a 75-87 record, good for fourth place in the National League Central.

Coming into 2007, the Brewers had a few question marks, but none bigger than finding someone to man the third base position. Corey Koskie—the regular at the hot corner in 2006—was still doubtful from the post-concussion syndrome that ended his season in July. The Brewers gave a non-roster invite to a young player from Granada Hills, California, via the University of Miami. His name was Ryan Braun, and he wore jersey number 75 in spring training. Also invited to his first camp was a young right-handed pitcher named Yovani Gallardo, who wore number 76. Both were long shots to make the big-league roster. In late March, both were reassigned to the Brewers minor league camp.

The Brewers had a disappointing 13-17 record during the spring, and both Braun and Gallardo started the season at Triple-A Nashville. They wouldn’t stay there long.

Milwaukee started out on fire, 3.5 games ahead of the NL Central field as the calendar turned to May. Three weeks later, with the team losing nine of 13 games and the third base platoon of Tony Graffanino and Craig Counsell batting a combined .227, the Brewers called up Braun, who had slashed .342/.418/.701 with 10 home runs across 117 at-bats in Nashville.

Braun went 4-for-8 in his first two games, including a double and a home run. However, the team struggled the last week of May, losing five of seven games, but still held a 6.5-game lead over second-place Pittsburgh.

Milwaukee had several players with very good numbers the first two months, including pinch-hitter/outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr. (.333), first baseman Prince Fielder (19 HR, 43 RBI), and shortstop J.J. Hardy (.304/.350/.567 with 15 home runs). Closer Francisco Cordero notched 19 saves in 19 opportunities and a minuscule ERA of 0.41 with 16 straight scoreless outings.

In mid-June, starting pitcher Chris Capuano was placed on the 15-day disabled list, and Gallardo was called to replace him. In his major league debut on June 18, Gallardo allowed a first-inning run to the San Francisco Giants but pitched 6.1 innings, giving up four hits, three earned runs, and three walks while striking out four in a 5-4 victory. The Brewers won their next four games to add to their lead, going 8.5 games up over Chicago and St. Louis.

But the Brewers limped into the All-Star break, losing seven of the last 10 games going into the mid-summer recess. Four players were named to the All-Star team: Fielder started at first base, while pitchers Ben Sheets and Cordero pitched an inning. Hardy got into the game late at shortstop.

Milwaukee won four games in a row to start the second half but then struggled over the next two weeks, winning only five of 16 games to tie for first place with Chicago on August 2. The Crew won a pair of one-run contests against the Phillies to regain the lead but dropped nine of their next 11 to fall into the runner-up spot.  

The NL standings on the morning of August 22 showed the Brewers and the Cubs tied. The Brewers promptly lost five in a row to drop to third place behind the Cubs and Cardinals. A run of 6-2 moved the Brewers back into a tie with the Cubs just after Labor Day. After Sheets went down with a left hamstring strain on September 18, the Brewers season imploded as they won only five of 12 games to end the year and finished two games back of the Cubs with an 83-79 mark.

Although the team had a disappointing end to a season that seemed full of promise, several individual players had great seasons. Braun won the NL Rookie of the Year award after slashing .324/.370/.624 with 34 home runs and 97 RBIs in just 451 at-bats. His defensive play wasn't as exemplary, as he committed 26 errors at third base for a .895 fielding percentage. (The following year, he was moved to the outfield.) Fielder had an OPS+ of 157, led the league with 50 home runs, and finished third in MVP balloting. Three other players hit more than 20 HRs: Hardy (26), Corey Hart (24) and Geoff Jenkins (21). The team smashed 231 home runs, besting the previous best of 216, which, of course, was tallied in the magical year of 1982. (That mark has since been bettered by the 250 hit by the club in 2019.)

Journeyman Joe Dillon played errorless ball at five different positions and slashed .342/.390/.500 across 76 at-bats in a super-sub role. Rickie Weeks led the team with 25 stolen bases in just 118 games.

On the mound, Cordero finished second in the NL with 44 saves, had an ERA+ of 149, and a FIP of 2.25. Sheets, Jeff Suppan, and Dave Bush won a dozen games, while Claudio Vargas picked up 11 victories. Rookie Gallardo ended with nine wins, a FIP of 3.41 and an ERA+ of 121.

The 2007 campaign was a springboard for future success. The C.C. Sabathia-led Brewers reached the NLDS the following season before losing to the Philadelphia Phillies. Three years later, the Brew Crew reached Game 6 of the NLCS before losing to the Cardinals. Then came a six-year playoff drought.

The Brewers have made the playoffs in six of the last seven years. However, the 2018 season ended with a disappointing Game 7 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS at Miller Park. Ironically, that game ended just after 10pm on October 20, the same date as the 1982 World Series Game 7 loss.

Milwaukee fans have come to expect the Brewers to advance to the playoffs, as they have been crowned NL Central champs three of the last four seasons. With gritty manager Pat Murphy, the Brewers should continue to play well and contend for the division title. Young, exciting players like Jackson Chourio and Brice Turang, as well as a half-dozen top prospects who could make it to Milwaukee anytime, make this a great day to be a Brewers fan. Like Braun and Gallardo in 2007, the new crop of Brewer stars could make this team very special.

Are you interested in Brewers history? Then check out the Milwaukee Brewers Players Project, a community-driven project to discover and collect great information on every player to wear a Brewers uniform!