The Milwaukee Brewers are a newer franchise within Major League Baseball and don’t possess many historic seasons. While they are new, the 1982 MLB season was very memorable for Brewer’s fans all across the United States. This was the season where the Milwaukee Brewers made the World Series, which is the championship in Major League Baseball. After a season where they fell short in the playoffs, they finally made it to the biggest stage in all of baseball. In this article, I will highlight the leader of this ballclub, the elite offense, and the ending result of this season.

• When looking back at the 1982 season, the one player that sticks out more than anybody is Robin Yount. Robin Yount had an incredible season that has stuck out as one of the greatest seasons ever by a player. Robin Yount won the American League MVP that season and included accolades such as the Silver Slugger, Gold Glove, All-Star Selection and more. The MVP, or Most Valuable Player, is given to the best overall player throughout an entire season. The Silver Slugger is an award given to the best overall hitter and the Gold Glove is given to the best fielder at each position, through which he won at the shortstop position. Along with those awards given after the regular season, he also was a participant in the 1982 All-Star Game which is given to the best players during the middle of each season. Robin Yount was a key piece as to why the Brewers went to the World Series which was highlighted by these terrific accolades.

• The main reason why this ballclub went so far into the playoffs was because of the elite offense that they possessed. Known as “Harvey’s Wallbangers” which was a reference to their manager Harvey Kuenn. This team was known for hitting home runs, which is when a player hits a ball in fair territory out of the stadium playing field. The Milwaukee Brewers had 216 home runs which was 30 more than the next best team in the league. Along with their incredible power, they had the second highest batting average with a combined team average of .279 only trailing the Kansas City Royals at .285. Having a higher average normally means that hitters are getting on base more which means that runs are coming from both power and contact hitters. There is a statistic that combines a metric of power and contact called OPS, On-Base Percentage+Slugging Percentage. The Milwaukee Brewers led the MLB in that category therefore determining them to be the best overall offense in 1982.

• The ending of this season resulted in a World Series loss, ultimately placing second in the 1982 season. The Milwaukee Brewers faced the St. Louis Cardinals in a seven game series to find out who the ultimate champion would be. The Milwaukee Brewers won game one by a score of 10-0 in St. Louis. Games two and three however went towards St. Louis and the Brewers were down one to two in the seven game series. In games four and five, the Milwaukee Brewers won both and therefore leading the series three games to two with a chance to win the World Series. This dream ultimately fell short as the St. Louis Cardinals won the two remaining games and clinched a World Series victory. This was devastating for Brewers fans, players, and everyone supporting them as they were one game away from being crowned the champions of the 1982 World Series. 

The 1982 season was a season that many Brewer’s fans will remember as it will go down as the best season in franchise history up to this day. This season consisted of elite play from top tier players, offensive greatness, a cool slogan for the team and so much more. While I wasn’t there to witness this season as I was yet to be born, I have seen highlights and heard from fans who were there to witness and it is regarded as a fond memory all across the state of Wisconsin.