Could a Meaningless Run Actually Say a Lot About the 2025 Milwaukee Brewers?

When Andrew Vaughn came to bat in the bottom of the fourth inning against Pirates pitcher Andrew Heaney on August 11, the Brewers were in a commanding position, having gone up 5-1 by plating four runs in the previous inning. That inning had been used as an example of how the Brewers have gone on an incredible run, but what Vaughn did is arguably more important—a sign that the Brewers have taken the next step forward with their offense.

Breaking Down the At-Bat
Vaughn came up to bat with runners on the corners and one out, thanks to a leadoff double by Isaac Collins, a single by William Contreras, and a fielder’s choice from Christian Yelich. Now, the at-bat was only two pitches, so it wasn’t an epic battle where Vaughn fought through. In terms of Win Probability Added, it was +1.2%, taking the Brewers to 95% in that game.

Heaney’s first pitch, a sinker, went “just a bit outside,” to borrow the phrase Bob Uecker uttered during Major League. That brought the count to 1-0. Heaney then fired an 81.4-mph changeup over the heart of the plate in the upper middle portion of the strike zone per MLB Gameday.

This is a pitch that Vaughn could easily crush for extra bases. But instead, he did something that seems completely counterintuitive.

He bunted, sending the ball onto the first-base side of the infield. Pirates first baseman Liover Peguero scooped the ball and shoveled it to Heaney, who tagged Vaughn out. Isaac Collins scored on the play, with Yelich going to second. The Brewers were up 6-1, in a game they’d eventually win 7-1.

So why focus on this at-bat? Two major reasons. One is what it means in a strategic sense on the field. The second is what that at-bat just said about the “off-the-field” situation for the Brewers.

The On-The-Field Implications
Vaughn’s bunt represents the next step in the evolution of the Brewers’ offense. During the heartbreaking NL Wild Card Series against the Mets, the 2024 Brewers addressed what was arguably the fatal flaw of the 2018 team that got to Game 7 of the NLCS, by proving they could play small ball.

The 2025 Brewers have scored 650 runs in their 126 games to date—just over five runs a game. The 2024 Crew scored 4.79 runs a game. That’s a third of a run more, even with Willy Adames gone via free agency, William Contreras having his power sapped while playing through an injury, Rhys Hoskins and Jackson Chourio missing some time on the injured list, and Joey Ortiz slumping for a significant part of the season. How did that happen?

First, the Crew’s had a healthy Christian Yelich, who has been hitting a bunch of homers. Vaughn’s breakthrough has also helped, but the team also got a boost in power from two of their “small ball specialists," Brice Turang and Sal Frelick. In 2024, they combined for nine home runs. In 2025, Frelick has equaled that total, and Turang’s added 13 more. Yelich, Turang, and Frelick’s increased production has made up for virtually everything they lost when Adames departed.

Vaughn’s squeeze play is the other side of the coin. In 2024, the Crew had two ways to score, with distinct groups for the power hitters and the “small ball” squad, with some overlap. The 2025 Brewers have greatly increased that overlap.

This is going to affect how teams have to play the Crew. There is an unpredictability that adds even more pressure. Vaughn came relatively close to beating out that bunt, and faster sluggers (like a healthy Chourio or Yelich) would likely have been safe. However, with improved power from Turang and Frelick, the flipside is also there: they might swing away on a team expecting a bunt, and do even more damage.

But Vaughn, arguably the hottest hitter on the team, laying down the bunt also implies a lot about the off-the-field situation for the Brewers.

Team Baseball
We’ve seen the Brewers talk about “the power of friendship” during their run. But Vaughn’s bunt is very reminiscent of the end of the Brewers-themed movie “Mr. 3000,” where Stan Ross (played by Bernie Mac) sacrifices the chance to reach the milestone to enable the team to win the game.

Vaughn’s bunt is somewhat similar. Given the 1-0 count, he could be expected to go for the fences, especially with a fat changeup about letter-high. Vaughn could have gotten a base hit. or (with the way he’s been hitting) he could have lashed a double that would have easily plated both Collins and Yelich, or dumped the ball in the bleachers.

Instead, whether it was a call by Pat Murphy or his own initiative, Vaughn chose the approach of bunting. Like the Richmond Greyhounds in Season 3 of “Ted Lasso,” this Brewers team is not focused on the individual players as much as it is playing, if you will, “Total Baseball.”

In short, this is a team that can pick each other up, as they demonstrated in the comeback wins that came after that blowout victory against Pittsburgh. In the words of NFL great Walter Payton, they “never die easy.”

Overview
Vaughn’s bunt is a lot more meaningful when it comes to understanding the 2025 Brewers than Win Probability Added would indicate. In essence, it shows that the team’s offense has continued the evolution hinted at in the 2024 team, one that could mean big things come the playoffs.