It's time for Milwaukee to party like it's 1982. On Friday, for the first time in 44 years, the Milwaukee Brewers will play in the World Series. Back then, the club's search for its first-ever pennant didn't last too long. The Brewers won the American League just 12 years after starting play in Milwaukee. (The Brewers moved to the National League in 1998.) But after a seven-game series loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, a drought in the quest to make it back to the sport's final stage ensued.
Milwaukee has emerged as one of Major League Baseball's most consistent organizations in recent years. The Brewers have won five of the last six National League Central titles, and haven't dipped below 85 wins in a full season since 2016. This year, however, they finally won out over the rest of the NL's best. The Brewers stormed through the National League's playoff bracket, dispatching the San Diego Padres three games to one before sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers, a fittingly impressive run for a team that boasted the best regular-season record in the majors.
The 1982 edition of the Brewers came with a memorable nickname: Harvey's Wallbangers. Manager Harvey Kuenn took over at midseason, and Milwaukee won the AL East on the season's final day. The key ingredient was home runs. The team clobbered 216 that season, 30 more than the next closest team. Gorman Thomas (39), Ben Oglivie (34) and Cecil Cooper (32) led the way, with Robin Yount (29), Ted Simmons (23) and Paul Molitor (19) right behind. Yount won the AL MVP, while Dale Murphy of the Atlanta Braves took the NL award.
The game itself has changed considerably. In 1982, MLB had two divisions of seven teams in the American League and two divisions of six in the National League. Alignment was unusual, with the Detroit Tigers sharing the AL East with the Brewers and the Atlanta Braves winning the NL West. Pete Vuckovich, another Brewer, claimed the AL Cy Young with an 18-6 record, while Steve Carlton delivered the final of his four Cy Young seasons in the NL.
Source: ESPN MLB · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing