Ranking the top Brewers moments of 2023

This story was excerpted from Adam McCalvy’s Brewers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

MILWAUKEE -- It’s the penultimate newsletter of 2023. Since next week’s entry is a look ahead to 2024, here’s one final look back at the year that was.

5. Back-to-back-to-back off Scherzer
The Brewers led a wave of home run props across MLB, starting with Rowdy Tellez, Brian Anderson and Garrett Mitchell hitting consecutive homers off then-Met Max Scherzer on April 4 in the opening homestand of the season. Anderson and Mitchell went back-to-back again in the seventh, and with each home run, out came the foam cheesehead crown. It was Mitchell’s first (and second) chance to wear one.

“And I loved it,” he deadpanned. “I want to wear it more often if I can.” More >>

4. Turang’s home-opening bang
With his parents in the stands for the Brewers’ sold-out home opener, rookie second baseman Brice Turang hit a grand slam for his first career homer to punctuate a seven-run fifth inning in a 10-0 win over the Mets on April 3.

“It was one of those things that when he hit it, it was almost like, ‘No way,’” said Brice’s mom, Carrie. “I just lost it. So many different emotions. I was proud of him, excited for him, all his hard work paying off.” More >>

3. Rowdy (!!) gets the final outs of the clincher
It came as a considerable surprise to everyone when Tellez joined the likes of Rollie Fingers, CC Sabathia, John Axford, Jeremy Jeffress and Josh Hader as Brewers pitchers who have recorded the final out of a victory that clinched a place in the postseason on Sept. 22. Tellez hadn’t pitched since his junior year of high school.

“I was like, ‘Well, Vic,’” Tellez told catcher Victor Caratini, “‘sit on the corners and watch Maddux work.’” More >>

2. Sal’s MLB debut for the ages
Sal Frelick put together one of the most electric debuts in franchise history in a 4-3 win over the Braves on July 22 after the Brewers selected his contract from Triple-A Nashville. "The Hit Collector" collected hits, RBIs and highlight-reel catches on national TV against the team with the best record in baseball, all while his father and siblings -- his mom was at home with the family dog, set to join the party the following day -- celebrated with the rest of the home crowd.

“I’ve been seeing Sal make plays like that his whole life, but it was something else seeing him do it at this level,” said Frelick’s brother, Nico. More >>

1. "Hitting grand slams is cool"
The Brewers added Carlos Santana and Mark Canha at the Trade Deadline to provide an offensive spark.

Spark? For a few days in September, that was putting it mildly.

Twenty-four hours after Santana hit a tie-breaking home run on a two-homer night, Canha snapped a tie in even grander fashion in the Crew's 9-5 win over the Nationals on Sept. 16 when he electrified the home crowd with a two-out grand slam in the eighth inning, complete with an epic bat flip to match the moment.

“Hitting grand slams is cool,” Canha said.

The context made it cooler. The Brewers' magic number over the Cubs to clinch the National League Central dropped into single digits thanks to their 13th victory in their past 15 home games. It also pushed them to 20 games over .500 on their way to the postseason for the fifth time in the past six years. More >>