With the first week of the 2022 MLB regular season coming to an end, I figured I would highlight the moment of the week for the Milwaukee Brewers. The Milwaukee Brewers are 4-3 to start the season and have already had some wild and entertaining moments. They have faced the Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles, and the St. Louis Cardinals. There has been one moment thus far that has really stood out among others, and that is Mike Brosseau’s home run against the Chicago Cubs. In this article, I will highlight the rivalry between the Chicago Cubs and the Milwaukee Brewers, the situation of the game heading into this moment, and background information on Mike Brosseau and why this moment was so special and important to himself and the Milwaukee Brewers.

• The Milwaukee Brewers and the Chicago Cubs have had this rivalry since Milwaukee transferred into the National League Central division in 1998. This rivalry is called the I-94 rivalry, based on their close location off of Interstate 94. Now to put into perspective how close this rivalry has been versus one another, heading into this game they were tied at 200-200 all time facing each other. This series was the first series to start the 2022 season and Milwaukee had lost both games to start off the season looking for their first victory of the new season. There had been some tension between the two ball clubs as the day before, there was a brawl between both franchises. Milwaukee had hit three Chicago hitters that day and as a means for revenge, Chicago pitcher Keegan Thompson intentionally hit Brewer’s hitter Andrew McCutchen which started a brawl at Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs. Since 2020, Milwaukee Brewers pitchers have hit 27 Chicago hitters and Chicago Cubs pitchers have hit 26 Milwaukee hitters. This is extremely high and each franchise would agree that there is bad blood between the two ball clubs.

• On 4/10/2022, the Milwaukee Brewers faced the Chicago Cubs in an epic battle. Seiya Suzuki had been one of the biggest free agents last year coming from the Japanese League and was ready to make an impact for his new team, the Chicago Cubs. In the first inning, the starting pitcher for the Brewers, Freddy Peralta, gave up a three run home run to Seiya Suzuki, which was his first in the MLB, to give the Chicago Cubs a 3-0 lead. This was devastating as players and fans were hoping to start the game with the lead. It felt demoralizing after losing both games prior as it seemed like their was the potential for a sweep, in which the Cubs would win all three games. Two innings later, Willy Adames for the Milwaukee Brewers takes a high rising sinker and smashes it beyond the center field wall scoring in one run as Milwaukee was still down 1-3 in the third inning. This gave fans hope as they wanted to see Milwaukee comeback from this deficit. Three innings later, the ballgame changed in favor of Milwaukee. Christian Yelich hit an RBI double to score another run and shortly after, Rowdy Tellez hit a two run home run which gave the lead to Milwaukee. Brent Suter came in relief for Freddy Peralta in the fifth inning and pitched well besides walking two hitters in the sixth inning, forcing manager Craig Counsell to take him out and put Jake Cousins in the ballgame. Jake Cousins had runners on first and second base and threw a wild pitch which advanced the runners to second and third base with two outs in the inning. Shortly after, Cousins threw another wild pitch which scored the tying run for the Chicago Cubs with the winning run on third base. Cousins finally struck out the last hitter with the game tied 4-4 heading into the seventh inning. 

• Now more importantly, who is Mike Brosseau? Mike Brosseau is a utility infielder, which means he can play every position within the infield. Mike Brosseau was from a city in Northwest Indiana and grew up as a Chicago Cubs fan. Brosseau signed with the Tampa Bay Ray’s minor league team out of college and excelled in the minor leagues, eventually making his debut in 2019. Brosseau had a nice career in Tampa Bay before eventually being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers before the 2022 MLB season. Mike Brosseau had never played at Wrigley Field and knew this opportunity would give him the chance to live out his dream of playing baseball at his favorite ballpark, Wrigley Field. Brosseau had played in both games prior and had yet to get a base hit in Chicago. Coming into the seventh inning of the ballgame, Brosseau had the opportunity to pinch hit for the Milwaukee Brewers. Mike Brosseau would face former Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Daniel Norris with a chance to prove his worth to this new ball club. With a 2-0 count in the at-bat, Mike Brosseau launched a solo home run over the center field wall to give the Milwaukee Brewers a one run lead in the seventh inning. Brosseau had never hit a home run in a pinch hit opportunity and it seemed to be a magical moment for the younger Brewer. The Milwaukee Brewers eventually won the ballgame by a score of 5-4 in favor of Milwaukee, thanks to the much needed home run from Mike Brosseau. 

This moment was crucial for Milwaukee as they needed a lead in order to secure their first victory of the season. Especially in a rivalry game, every game matters and more specifically getting the first win of the season was necessary from a moral standpoint. Mike Brosseau was finally able to live his childhood dreams and hit a go ahead home run at Wrigley Field. This was a moment that will never be forgotten for Mike Brosseau and is one of his greatest moments throughout his young career. Brewers fans were very grateful for the go ahead home run and it will be one of the defining moments throughout the 2022 season for the Milwaukee Brewers. Hopefully this moment will spark many future victories for the Milwaukee Brewers and give Mike Brosseau the confidence to hit well at any ballpark.