The Brewers wrapped up an eight-game winning streak with a loss to the Cubs on Thursday and, as such, fell a bit short of history.
They were a little more than halfway to the longest single-season winning streak in franchise history; the fabled 13-0 run to open the 1987 season (the record streak is actually 16 games across two seasons, including the final three games in 1986). That streak featured several legendary Brewers moments, including Juan Nieves’ no-hitter and a five-run comeback in the bottom of the ninth on Easter Sunday.
The Brewers’ longest winning streaks since 1987 have both been ten games long: One came in 1988 as part of a season where Milwaukee went 87-75, which would likely be good enough for a playoff berth under MLB’s current format. The other one was a fascinating aberration in an otherwise abysmal 2003 season.
On August 17, 2003 the Brewers lost to the Pirates to fall to 48-75. After an off day they entered play on August 19 with baseball’s third-worst record, ahead of only a historically bad Tigers team and a Padres team that lost 98 games. They won that day and on each of the nine days that followed, a 10-0 run in an otherwise 58-94 season. Like the 1987 streak this stretch also featured some heroic moments, although they’re less often remembered.
An Inauspicious Start
The streak started in an unlikely way: The Brewers beat the Phillies on August 19 in a game that featured one of the shortest outings of Ben Sheets’ MLB career as he lasted just one inning and threw just ten pitches before leaving with shoulder soreness. The Brewers, however, rallied late behind a three-run home run from veteran journeyman Mark Smith. All three of Smith’s home runs as a Brewer came during the final two weeks of August this season.
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The next two games featured another pair of unlikely heroes: On August 20 Matt Kinney pitched eight scoreless innings, the longest such outing of his career. August 21 featured a home run from outfielder Jason Conti, his first as a Brewer and second-to-last as a major leaguer.
Close Calls
Fresh off that sweep of the Phillies, the Brewers welcomed the 57-68 Pirates to town and proceeded to steal away a series of nail-biters. They won 3-2 on August 22 behind a seven inning, one run start from Wayne Franklin, a feat he never accomplished again in the majors. On August 23 they took a 5-1 lead into the eighth inning but had to rally in the bottom of the ninth to escape with a 7-6 walkoff win. On August 24 they snuck away with a win in an even wilder game, scoring single runs in the eighth and ninth to secure a 10-9 victory and extend the streak to six games.
Scott Podsednik tied a Brewers franchise record by scoring four runs in the final game of the series. He batted .395 with a .469 on-base percentage and .674 slugging during the streak.
Jenkins Provides the Power
The Brewers took their hot streak on the road, needing four wins in Cincinnati to claw their way out of sole possession of sixth place in the NL Central. They got all four behind an impressive power display from Geoff Jenkins, who homered in every game in the series. Jenkins was, of course, no stranger to hot streaks. This was the third four-game homer streak of his career and the second one of that very season: He had also done it against the Twins and Cubs from June 22-26.
The Magic is Gone
This streak ended, unfortunately, along with Jenkins’ season. He left the Brewers’ tenth consecutive win with a thumb injury and did not return until 2004. With Jenkins out of the lineup the Brewers lost 4-2 to the Cubs and snapped their long hot streak. They did maintain enough momentum to win four of their next five games but faded badly in September, going 6-17 in their final 23 contests.
The 2003 Brewers’ streak, while fascinating as a standalone event, didn’t end up meaning much in the long term. The Brewers still finished 68-94 and in last place in the NL Central and the streak’s only lasting impact was on their draft position: They received the #5 overall pick in the 2004 draft, which they used on pitcher and very brief big leaguer Mark Rogers.
Draft sacrifices aside, however, the 2003 hot streak injected some life into an otherwise negligible Brewers season and proved that even bad teams can be fun sometimes.
