The Brewers appeared on the scene when the expansion Seattle Pilots moved to Milwaukee after just one season, seeking better attendance. The Brewers maintained the Pilot's dismal level of performance for their first eight seasons (switching to the Eastern Division in 1972), but the hiring of Harry Dalton as GM after the 1977 season produced immediate results. He appointed former Baltimore colleague George Bamberger manager, and Bamberger, a successful pitching coach, made Mike Caldwell into a 20-game winner. First-round 1977 draft pick Paul Molitor made the team in spring training and was TSN AL Rookie of the Year. Larry Hisle was signed as a free agent. Ben Oglivie was acquired in exchange for two mediocre pitchers. Slugging outfielder Gorman Thomas was purchased from the Rangers in February 1978. They all joined a core of Robin Yount, Sixto Lezcano, and Cecil Cooper in propelling the Brewers to their first winning season, a 93-69 mark good for third place. The Brewers contended the next two years, and won the second-half crown in the strike-split 1981 season, but lost to the Yankees in the divisional playoff. The key to this success was a seven-player deal that brought Rollie Fingers, Ted Simmons, and Pete Vuckovich from the Cardinals in December 1980. Fingers won the MVP and Cy Young awards for his 28 saves and 1.04 ERA, and Vuckovich led the league in winning percentage.

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The Brewers won the AL pennant in 1982 after Harvey Kuenn took over from Buck Rodgers when the team was 23-24; they went 72-43 the rest of the way. Stretch-drive acquisition Don Sutton beat the Orioles on the final day of the season to win the division title by one game. Yount ran away with the MVP award, Vuckovich was the Cy Young winner, and Molitor led the AL with 136 runs. In the LCS, Milwaukee came back from a 2-0 deficit to sweep the last three games and defeat the Angels. The Brewers took the Cardinals to seven games in the World Series before losing. In subsequent years, they declined, but a bright spot was the outstanding performance of rookie Ted Higuera in 1985.

In 1987 the Brewers got off to a record-tying start when they won their first 13 games of the season. A short while later they had a 12-game losing streak after Paul Molitor went on the DL. His 37-game hitting streak was the highlight of the second half of the season. (WOR)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » April 21, 1900: The American League entry in Chicago opens with the Chicago White Stockings losing to the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-4. Chicago will win tomorrow, 5-3, behind the pitching of Roger Denzer. » January 28, 1901: The American League formally organizes: the Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Athletics, and Boston Somersets are admitted to join the Washington Nationals, Cleveland Blues, Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers, and Chicago White Stockings. Three of the original clubs—Indianapolis, Minneapolis, and Buffalo—are dropped. League power aggregates in Ban Johnson as trustee for all ballpark leases and majority stockholdings, and with authority to buy out refractory franchises. Player limit is 14 per team, and the schedule will be 140 games. AL contracts give the Players Protective Association what it asked for, with 5-year limits on the rights to player services. » April 25, 1901: In its AL debut before 10,023, Detroit scores the greatest Opening Day rally with 10 runs in the bottom of the 9th for a 14-13 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. Detroit spots the Brewers a 13-3 lead-7-0 after three innings-by making seven errors, including three by SS Kid Elberfeld. Tiger 1B Pop Dillon hits four doubles, including a pair in the record 9th inning, the last is the game-winner off reliever Bert Husting. Dillon's four doubles is an opening day record that will be matched by Jim Greengrass in 1954. » April 20, 1902: In an exhibition match in Chicago, the Milwaukee Brewers top the White Stockings, 3-2. Chuck Comiskey scheduled the tune-up with the American Association squad after the Brewers took three straight from the Cincinnati Reds. » September 10, 1908: Louie Durham of the Indianapolis Browns pitches and wins both ends of a doubleheader against the Toldeo Mud Hens. Historian Fred Schuld notes that this is the 5th doubleheader this season that Durham has accomplished this feat. Previously he beat the Milwaukee Brewers (June 14), Columbus Champs (July 18), St. Paul Saints (July 25), and the Louisville Night Riders (Aug 8). » July 13, 1909: At Nicollet Park in Minneapolis, Irv Young puts on "the greatest single-day mound performance in the history of the Millers" (according to historian Stew Thornley). In the first game of a doubleheader with the Milwaukee Brewers (AA), Young holds the Brewers to four hits to win, 1-0. Young homers in the fifth for the game's only run. So impressive is Young that he pitches the nightcap, holding the Brewers hitless until the 9th and finishing with a one-hit, 5-0 victory. The double shutout puts the Millers two games in front of Milwaukee. The two teams will fight for the AA lead for the next two months, before fading in the final week, allowing Louisville to sneak into first. » May 5, 1944: Charlie Grimm resigns as manager of the Milwaukee Brewers in the American Association to take over the Cubs. Casey Stengel is named manager in Milwaukee. » June 6, 1952: Bucky Walters succeeds Charlie Grimm as manager of the minor league Milwaukee Brewers after the latter had accepted the Braves job. » April 14, 1953: In a 3-2 victory, Braves OF Billy Bruton hits the first ML HR in Milwaukee's County Stadium, in the 10th inning off Gerry Staley of the Cards. This is the first game for the home crowd since 1901 when the Milwaukee Brewers were charter members of the AL. » August 1, 1972: Trailing by several runs in a game threatened by rain, Billy Martin has his Detroit Tigers employ stalling tactics while the opposing Milwaukee Brewers try to speed the game up. The game lasts six innings, with Del Crandall's Brewers winning 6–0. Umpire Frank Umont recommends a fine of $1,000 for both managers. » September 29, 1973: In the Red Sox 9–4 win over the Milwaukee Brewers, Bobby Mitchell crushes a home run out of Fenway to right of flagpole. This is just the 5th homer hit out there (Green Cathedrals). Lefty Roger Moret wins his 13th against just two losses. » July 5, 1979: University of Hawaii lefty Derek Tatsuno, selected in the 2nd round of the June draft by the Padres, signs with a subsidiary of the Seibu Lions for $750,000. Tatsuno, of Japanese-American descent, set an NCAA record of 20 wins (in 22 starts). He will finally sign with the Milwaukee Brewers, who select him in January of 1982 but he will be ineffective in the minors. » May 30, 1992: By beating the Milwaukee Brewers, 8–1, Scott Sanderson of the Yankees becomes the 9th pitcher to beat all 26 major league teams in his career. He joins Nolan Ryan, Tommy John, Don Sutton, Mike Torrez, Rick Wise, Gaylord Perry, Doyle Alexander and Rich Gossage as the only pitchers to accomplish the feat. » August 12, 1993: The Tigers defeat the Orioles, 17-11, as C Chad Kreuter hits a grand slam. It marks the 3rd consecutive game in which a Tiger hit a grand slam, tying a major league record set by the Milwaukee Brewers in 1978. The two teams combine for 37 hits. Travis Fryman is the only one with four hits, including three doubles. Twelve players score for the Tigers, one short of the American League record, and seven for the O's. » November 5, 1997: In what Bud Selig says is Phase one of a realignment of the major leagues, his Milwaukee Brewers move from the American League to the National League. » March 31, 1998: At Turner Field, the Milwaukee Brewers, the first team to switch leagues since 1901, lose their first game in the NL, 2–1, to the Braves. Bob Wickman takes the historic loss in relief, as the Braves plate the winning marker with two outs in the bottom of the 9th inning. » September 13, 1998: Sammy Sosa hits his 61st and 62nd home runs of the season against the Milwaukee Brewers to tie the National League record of 10 multi–HR games in a single season set by Ralph Kiner in 1947. The two home runs pace the Cubs to an 11–10 win, and tie Sosa with Mark McGwire for the home run lead. » May 23, 1999: Down 4-1 going into the 8th inning, the Milwaukee Brewers score five runs in the 8th and seven runs in the 9th to defeat the Expos, 13-4. » February 2, 2000: The Milwaukee Brewers sign pitcher Juan Acevedo to a two-year contract. » February 23, 2001: In what is believed to be a first of its kind test, umpire Mike Everitt meets with the Milwaukee Brewers to test out baseball's new strike zone. » April 4, 2001: The Colorado Rockies send pitchers Mark Leiter and Mike DeJean, and IF Elvis Pena, to the Milwaukee Brewers for pitchers Juan Acevedo and Kane Davis, and IF Jose Flores. » September 17, 2001: Bud Smith follows up his no-hitter with a 2–1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. The only run in seven innings against the Cards' budding young ace is unearned. Jeromy Burnitz of the Brewers comes within one fielding chance of joining Harry "Silk Stocking" Schafer (1877), Greasy Neale (1920), Casey Stengel (1920), Bill Nicholson (1945) and Bake McBride (1978) as the only N.L. right fielders to register 11 chances in a game. The major-league record is held by Tony Armas who handled 12 chances in an A.L. game in 1982. » December 7, 2001: Figures released by major league baseball show that the Milwaukee Brewers were baseball's most profitable club, after revenue sharing, in 2001. Without revenue sharing, the Brewers were the fourth-most profitable team. » March 12, 2002: Baseball czar Bud Selig announced he's going to start enforcing the 60–40 rule, which says teams can't have an assets/debts ratio below that level. According to Doug Pappas, an expert on baseball finances, "At best, this is one more example of Bud's arbitrary and selective enforcement of MLB's rules, retroactively punishing owners who've spent more on players than Bud would like. At worst, it's yet another grotesque case of Selig, he of the permanent conflict of interest, twisting the rules for his own benefit. In 1995, his Milwaukee Brewers were so far in debt they couldn't borrow money to contribute to the construction of their new park. Forbes estimated that as of the 1997 season, the Brewers' debt had risen to an incredible 97% of franchise value. Selig said nothing about the 60/40 rule. But the Brewers' new park opened in 2001. The first-year attendance spike sent club revenues to a record $113 million. Isn't it amazing how the Commissioner suddenly decided to enforce the rule just when his own club could finally meet the standard?" » September 25, 2002: Completing the worst season in the franchise's 34-year history, the Milwaukee Brewers replace Wendy Selig–Prieb as president and Dean Taylor as general manager. Ulice Payne takes over as president while Doug Melvin replaces Taylor. Milwaukee (56-106) is one of four teams this year to lose 100 games, a first in major league history. Kansas City will finish 62–100, Detroit (55–106) and Tampa Bay (55–106). The last season with three 100–game losers was 1985 (Cleveland, Pittsburgh and San Francisco).