10/27/2026 04:46:00
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10/27 16:44 CDT Brewers fans flock to the Trop, eager to celebrate the
franchise's first World Series title
Brewers fans flock to the Trop, eager to celebrate the franchise's first World
Series title
By ROB MAADDI
AP Sports Writer
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) --- A large group of Brewers fans gathered in a
parking lot outside Tropicana Field more than four hours before the first pitch
of Game 4 of the World Series, sipping on Wisconsin beers and preparing for a
potentially historic night.
The Brewers needed one more win to celebrate the first World Series title in
franchise history.
"We're ready to party," a man wearing a pinstriped, white William Contreras No.
24 jersey said.
With Milwaukee leading the Tampa Bay Rays 3-0, a celebration seems inevitable.
Of the 43 previous major league teams to fall behind 3-0 in any best-of-seven
postseason series, only the 2004 Boston Red Sox rallied to win four straight
games when they beat the New York Yankees in the American League Championship
Series.
Brewers fans have been waiting for this moment since 1970 --- the franchise
began as the Seattle Pilots in 1969 and moved to Milwaukee a year later.
Thousands of fans made the trip from Wisconsin to Florida and sat among the
cowbell-ringing Rays crowd on Monday night. Most were sitting behind the
visitors' dugout and along the third-base line, and they had plenty to cheer in
a 10-1 victory.
"The atmosphere here with the amount of Brewers fans, you can feel it, and it
started in batting practice yesterday," Milwaukee's Garrett Mitchell said
Tuesday. "Just like when we were stretching, you could hear it. It was lots of
?Let's go Brewers' chants. To have that on the road, pretty special. Pretty
special."
Even more Brewers fans were expected for Game 4 because their team is on the
verge of a championship, and the Rays need to defy historical trends just to
shift the series back to Milwaukee.
There have been 25 teams that took a 3-0 lead in the World Series. Of those, 21
finished the sweep in Game 4, and the remaining four won the series in Game 5.
The cheapest ticket available for Game 4 was $900, according to ticket
marketplace TickPick. A total of 41.3% of all purchases for Game 4 have come
from Wisconsin, compared to 30.5% from Florida and 3.4% from Illinois,
according to TickPick.
A fan wearing a powder blue, No. 19 Robin Young jersey held a broomstick in the
lot, anticipating a sweep. Once the gates opened, there was a loud "Let's go
Brewers" chant when players began stretching in left field.
"It was awesome," Brewers captain Christian Yelich said after Game 3. "They
were really loud from batting practice on throughout the game. I said it a
bunch, but they brought it this year in Milwaukee and on the road. We
understand how much this team and our performance affects people's happiness in
Milwaukee and how many memories have been made over the years watching Brewer
baseball, watching us play, whether that's among family, the friends, parents,
grandparents, whatever it may be. So, I know this team doesn't take that
lightly and I understand that our team means a lot to people and it's a big
reason why we press so hard about that."
Milwaukee's only previous trip to the World Series in 1982 ended in heartbreak
when the Brewers blew a 3-1 lead in the sixth inning of Game 7 and lost 6-3 to
the St. Louis Cardinals.
Pat Murphy's team is trying to finish what Harvey Kuenn's star-studded crew
couldn't accomplish. Harvey's Wallbangers had five Hall of Famers: Young, Paul
Molitor, Ted Simmons, Don Sutton and Rollie Fingers. But Fingers missed the
postseason with a forearm injury. They also had Hall of Famer Bob Uecker in the
broadcast booth.
"I think it's just about the Brewers, it's about the city of Milwaukee, it's
about the state of Wisconsin all coming together," Murphy said. "We all play a
role. It's wonderful to all be together. Hopefully we continue to play well
enough to win."
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