Brewers captain Christian Yelich drives in first run of franchise's first World Series game in 44 years
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The gist
Brewers captain Christian Yelich tripled in the first run of Milwaukee's first World Series game in 44 years.
Milwaukee leads the series after beating Tampa Bay; Yelich is the club's first-ever captain.
Background
Christian Yelich is the Milwaukee Brewers' designated hitter and left fielder, the 2018 National League MVP, and the first team captain in franchise history. The Brewers acquired him from Miami in 2018, and since then they have won the division six times and reached the playoffs eight times in nine seasons. Milwaukee named him captain at a team meeting before its penultimate game of a franchise-record 103-win regular season, and the team is now in the World Series for the first time since 1982.
How it unfolded
- Jul 23, 2013Yelich made his MLB debut for the Miami Marlins.
- 2018The Brewers acquired Yelich from Miami, and he was named NL MVP that year.
- 2020Yelich signed a club-record nine-year, $215 million extension with Milwaukee.
- Sep 26, 2026At a team meeting before the Brewers' penultimate regular-season game, Yelich was named the first captain in franchise history.
- Oct 15, 2026Yelich celebrated with teammates after Milwaukee beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4 of the NLCS in Los Angeles.
- Oct 23, 2026In Milwaukee's first World Series game in 44 years, Yelich drove in the first run with an RBI triple in the bottom of the first inning; the Brewers beat the Tampa Bay Rays.
- Oct 24, 2026The MLBPA posted that Yelich had personally invited 98- and 102-year-old WWII veterans Bill Wattleton and Sverre Vinje to Game 1 at American Family Field.
Who’s saying what
- Manager
- Pat Murphy said Yelich told him early in the season, "You'd better start believing because we're going to the World Series," and that Yelich has taken the captaincy "to another level."
- Player
- Yelich said he doesn't remember making that prediction, adding, "You should expect to be here."
- Teammate
- Outfielder Sal Frelick said Yelich "has been a captain before he got the 'C.'"
- Expert
- Hall of Fame shortstop Robin Yount said Yelich's concern about his approval was "a very humbling" gesture that "certainly wasn't necessary," and that Yelich earned it on his own.
Still unverified
Whether Yelich actually made the early-season World Series prediction that manager Pat Murphy attributed to him; Yelich said he doesn't remember saying it.