The Milwaukee Brewers won the opening game of their four game series against the Chicago Cubs on Monday afternoon. The game was an intense pitchers’ duel for most of the day with Brewers starter Robert Gasser and Cubs starter Justin Steele going scoreless frame for scoreless frame. It was not until Milwaukee beat up the Cubs’ underperforming bullpen for five runs in the eighth inning that any runs were scored by either team.
The biggest hit of the day belonged to Brewers shortstop Willy Adames, who launched a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to give Milwaukee a 4-0 lead. Sal Frelick had previously scored on an error, and Jackson Chourio added a RBI double after Adames’ home run.
Milwaukee Brewers Fans Were Electric Due to Craig Counsell’s First Game at American Family Field as the Chicago Cubs Manager
While Brewers versus Cubs matchups may be “just another game” for players and coaches, the fans certainly view them as something more. This was especially true on Monday as Milwaukee’s former manager, Craig Counsell, returned to American Family Field for the first time as the Cubs manager. Previously, Counsell had won more games as manager of the Brewers than anyone else in franchise history.
Prior to the start of the game, the Brewers played a tribute video for Counsell, which drew a chorus of boos from the fans. Later in the game, when Counsell came out to make a pitching change, he was met with another round of loud boos from the crowd.
Indeed, the energy in American Family Field was palpable. Gasser seemed to feed off of it, notching a career-high seven strikeouts in six shutout innings. Adames certainly fed off of it when he hit his eighth-inning blast.
Milwaukee Brewers Shortstop Willy Adames Wants That Kind of Atmosphere at Every Game
After the game, Adames met with reporters and was asked about the energy of the fans. He responded with a wish that the atmosphere that the players experienced on Monday was the kind of atmosphere that they were able to play in during every game:
“It was amazing, it was amazing. I feel like a lot of us were waiting for this series because it’s intense. Especially after Counsell comes back for the first time,” he said.
“When you play in an energy like that, in an atmosphere like that, it’s incredible. I feel like I wish we could have that every night because it would be incredible.”
The next three games are sure to be intense as Milwaukee continues to battle against Counsell and the Cubs. This might have been the closest thing to a Playoff atmosphere that this young team will experience all year (that is, until they [hopefully] get to the postseason).
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