Remembering ’08: April 17th

It was the 15th game of the year, the Brewers were wading along at 8-6, playing in St. Louis against the rival Cardinals, having dropped the first two games of this three-game set, and were now down 3-0 entering the late innings and with each out it looked more and more like a sweep was inevitable.

I remember the game being played on a Thursday, I know that off the top of my head.  I go to school in Milwaukee, but am from, and come home to on the weekends, Sheboygan (about an hour north).  Since I don’t have a car, I take a shuttle bus to Port Washington (about the half-way point) where my dad will usually pick me up.  Thanks to this Thursday’s game being a day game, and me getting to Port around 4, I got into my dad’s car right around the 8th inning.

The Cardinals had built a 3-0 lead on a 2nd inning home run by Ryan Ludwick, along with a 2-run single by pitcher Kyle Lohse in the 4th.  This game was played when Ned Yost was still in his “bat the pitcher 8th” phase, but fortunately for today’s game, Mike Rivera was catching, meaning the pitcher’s spot was 9th.

The 8-spot in the Brewer’s order was due up to lead of the 8th, and wouldn’t you know it, like so many other times in his career, Craig Counsell came up big with a leadoff double.  The Crew then pinch-hit Hernan Iribarren in the pitcher’s spot, and he also came through with a double, to cut the lead to 3-1, and give the Crew a runner in scoring position, no-one out, and the top of the order due up.

Rickie Weeks then did what he does best, get hit by a pitch, to put runners on 1st and 2nd with the meat of the lineup coming up.  In a rare move, Yost had JJ Hardy sacrifice to move the runners up, and Hardy got the job done.  With two runners on and one out, Ryan Braun hit a sac fly to narrow the margin to 3-2.

Next up was Prince Fielder.  Fielder had been struggling a bit in the early goings of the season, with 0 HR through the first 14 games.  Also in a rarity for the Brewers, Fielder proceeded to get a 2-out RBI hit, tying the game 3-3.  The rally ended after an intentional walk and a strikeout, but the Brewers had staged their rally (something they would get very good at in St. Louis) and had tied the game.

The game remained tied to the top of the 10th, when Braun led off with a single, bringing Fielder to the plate.  And with that at-bat, for the first time in 2008, Prince Fielder hit a home run, a 2-run shot to right to give the Brewers a 5-3 lead.  The rest of the Crew’s inning went quietly, and it was then up to Eric Gagne to come in and close the door on the Cardinals.

But like most of Gagne’s save opportunities, he didn’t make it easy, surrendering a leadoff double to Ludwick and a walk to Yadier Molina.  But Gagne buckled down, got a flyout and a strikeout before getting Cesar Izturis to foul out to Hardy to end the game and complete the comeback.

I got a text from my brother when Fielder hit his home run (he was watching at home) and I remember how excited I got.  It was about time for Fielder, who had hit 50 home runs in 2007, to get his first dinger, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.