A Celebration Weekend: Brewers honor the 1982 championship team and 2022 Walk of Fame, Walk of Honor inductees
MILWAUKEE – Brewers fans, mark your calendars. The Milwaukee Brewers are celebrating franchise legends Aug. 5-7 during the three-game homestand against the Cincinnati Reds – a “Celebration Weekend” featuring many of the team’s greatest players.
First up is the 40th Anniversary of the 1982 American League Champion team on Friday, Aug. 5. The Crew welcomes the pennant winners back home with an on-field ceremony at American Family Field before the team’s 7:10 p.m. contest against the Cincinnati Reds.
That night, coaches, players and staff from the 1982 team will reunite for a pregame ceremony, led by Baseball Commissioner Emeritus and former Brewers Owner Allan H. (Bud) Selig, Attendees include Jerry Augustine, Dwight Bernard, Mike Caldwell, Cecil Cooper, Jamie Easterly, Rollie Fingers, Jim Gantner, Moose Haas, Larry Hisle, Roy Howell, Harvey Kuenn Jr. (on behalf of father Harvey Kuenn), Pete Ladd, Bob McClure, Paul Molitor, Don Money, Charlie Moore, Ed Romero, Ted Simmons, Jim Slaton, Gorman Thomas, Dina Warner & Beth Ledbetter (on behalf of father Harry Warner), and Robin Yount.
The next day – Saturday, Aug. 6 – the Brewers will honor Prince Fielder, who will be enshrined into the Walk of Fame. The Walk of Fame commemorates some of the greatest names in Milwaukee baseball history with a granite-shaped home plate set in the ground outside of American Family Field. Fielder will be the 21st inductee since the Walk of Fame was established in 2001. Fielder will be recognized on-field and throw a ceremonial first pitch that evening.
Also on Saturday, Ryan Braun and Jonathan Lucroy will be inducted into the Brewers Wall of Honor, a distinction awarded to players, coaches and executives who meet a set of criteria based on service to the organization and career accomplishments. They will be joined by Francisco “K-Rod” Rodríguez, a 2021 inductee who will travel to Milwaukee this year to receive his honor.
Braun, Lucroy and Rodríguez will join the permanent Brewers Wall of Honor exhibit with a bronze plaque in their likeness affixed to the exterior of American Family Field. They will be recognized on-field in a pregame ceremony and throw ceremonial first pitches that evening.
On Sunday, Aug. 7, the first 35,000 fans through the gate for the 1:10 p.m. contest against the Cincinnati Reds will receive a 1980s Robin Yount replica jersey, presented by Hupy & Abraham.
Fans can purchase tickets to join in the fun and memories for this special weekend. Tickets are available now at brewers.com, the American Family Field Box Office and at 1-800-933-7890.
CAREER NOTES
Fielder, drafted seventh overall by Milwaukee in 2002, spent seven of his 12 Major League seasons with the Brewers (2005-11) and batted .282 with 230 HR and 656 RBI in 998 games. A three-time All-Star in Milwaukee (2007, 2009 and 2011), he is the all-time franchise leader in on-base percentage (.390), slugging percentage (.540) and OPS (.929) and is among the franchise leaders in HR (3rd), walks (4th, 566), extra-base hits (6th, 439), RBI (7th), total bases (8th, 1,904), runs (9th, 571) and batting average (10th).
The power-hitting first baseman is the only player in franchise history to produce five consecutive 30+ homer seasons (2007-11). In 2007 – his second full season in the majors – Fielder became the youngest player in Major League history to reach 50 homers in a season (23 years, 139 days), breaking the record set by Hall of Famer Willie Mays (24 years, 137 days). A fierce competitor, he missed just one game over his final three seasons in Milwaukee.
Braun, the all-time franchise home run leader, six-time All-Star and 2011 National League MVP, played his entire 14-year Major League career with the Milwaukee Brewers from 2007-20 and is among the franchise leaders in nearly every offensive category.
Braun finished his career as a .296 hitter with 352 HR, 1,154 RBI and 216 stolen bases in 1,766 games. In addition to his MVP and All-Star Game appearances, Braun was a five-time Silver Slugger Award winner and the 2007 National League Rookie of the Year.
Braun, who helped lead the Brewers to the postseason five times (2008, 2011 and 2018-20), retired as the all-time franchise leader in home runs. He also ranks among the franchise’s top three in RBI (2nd), slugging percentage (2nd, .532), OPS (2nd, .891), extra-base hits (2nd, 809), total bases (2nd, 3,525), doubles (2nd, 408), runs (3rd, 1,080), hits (3rd, 1,963), triples (3rd, 49), stolen bases (3rd, 216), at-bats (3rd, 6,622), and walks (3rd, 586). He ranks fourth in franchise history in games played and batting average.
From the date of his Major League debut – May 25, 2007 – through the 2020 season, Braun ranked among the top five in the majors in extra-base hits (T2nd), runs (3rd), RBI (3rd), total bases (4th), hits (5th), doubles (5th) and HR (5th).
Lucroy, drafted by Milwaukee in 2007, spent seven seasons with the Brewers from 2010-16, earning All-Star selections in 2014 and 2016. He led the majors in doubles in 2014 with 53, tied for the most in a single season in franchise history. He hit 46 doubles as a catcher in 2014, the most by a catcher in a single season in MLB history.
Lucroy finished fourth in National League Most Valuable Player voting in 2014, becoming the first catcher in franchise history to finish in the top 10. He ranks first in franchise history as a catcher in hits (752), batting average (.288), doubles (143), HR (77), RBI (358), and runs (326). He is second in games caught (725).
Rodríguez spent five seasons of his 16-year Major League career in a Brewers uniform, recording a 2.91 ERA and 95 saves in 263 appearances while being selected to the All-Star team in 2014 and 2015. In those years (2014-15), he combined to record 82 saves and joined John Axford as the only two pitchers in franchise history to record at least 35 saves in multiple seasons.