(Photo: MLB.com)
Has avoiding a sweep ever felt as good as it did yesterday? Beating the Cardinals is always satisfying, but coming back in late innings—after failing to score in the first two games—is glorious.
When it looked like the Brewers might get shut out again yesterday, I consoled myself by reminiscing about 2008, the one season the Brewers actually had the Cardinals’ number. On July 21-24 of that year, the Brewers went into St. Louis and swept the Cardinals in four games. It’s even more enjoyable to remember these games after yesterday’s magnificent win.
Although the Cardinals scored a run in the ninth to push the game into extra innings, the Brewers scored three times in the tenth, led by a Bill Hall home run. Cardinals closer Ryan Franklin: “They did a good job of hitting pretty good pitches. The pitch that Billy Hall hit was a mistake, obviously."
The Cardinals led 3-0 after six innings, but the Brewers came back to win 4-3. Bill Hall was the hero again, hitting the go-ahead homer in the ninth.
In his fourth start as a Brewer, CC Sabathia pitched his third straight complete game. Sabathia didn’t even allow a hit until the sixth inning. Second baseman Brendan Ryan: "Hopefully tomorrow, we'll put a couple of hits together and everybody gets contagious. But we need this one tomorrow."
The Cardinals didn’t get that one. Down by one in the ninth inning, the Brewers came back on a two-run homer by Ryan Braun, completing the four-game sweep. Boy, did Braun enjoy that home run.
There are still 16 more games against the Cardinals in 2013. Bring 'em on!
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