It’s the offseason. It also happens to be the end of the year (1982, to be exact). As such, every cheeseball writer is throwing together a “Best of 1982” article. And since I’m a cheeseball writer, I will follow suit. That’s what we do.
When I sat down to write my “Top 10 Brewers Performances of 1982” masterpiece, I thought it would be easy. There were a few signature performances that we knew would be on that list. But as I did my exhaustive search of the season, I realized that cutting the list to 10 would be tricky.
In the end, I decided to split up the hitting and pitching performances. As it is, I had a difficult time cutting this list down to a top 10 (or even top 20, for that matter). The Brewers were an electric offensive team, so it was easy to find big offensive performances littered throughout the year.
So here you go, the Top 10 Brewers Hitting Performances of 1982. The order was determined by a combination of raw numbers, importance of the game and what the individual’s contributions meant to the win. Robin Yount and Paul Molitor, not surprisingly, found themselves on this list three times apiece. Gorman Thomas made it twice while Ben Oglivie and Mark Brohard each made an appearance. At the bottom, you’ll find the “best of the rest.”
1. Robin Yount, 10/3/82
Opponent: Baltimore Orioles
Location: Baltimore
Score: 10-2 Brewers
Line: 3-for-4, 2 home runs, 1 triple, 2 RBI, 4 runs scored, 1 HBP
It couldn’t have been anyone else, right? It may not have been the most productive performance of the season at the plate for a Brewer, but it was certainly the biggest and most timely. Tied for first place after losing three consecutive games to the Orioles, the Brewers needed to win in Baltimore on the final day of the season or miss out on the playoffs. The momentum was completely on Baltimore’s side, and the enemy had ace Jim Palmer on the mound. Robin Yount set the tone for his struggling teammates, hitting solo homers off of Palmer in the first and third innings, giving the Brewers a 3-0 lead. It turned into a laugher, but much of the credit for this win goes to Yount for giving the Brewers the early cushion against a very tough pitcher.
2. Ben Oglivie, 6/20/82
Opponent: Detroit Tigers
Location: Detroit
Score: 7-5 Brewers
Line: 3-for-3, 3 home runs, 5 RBI, 3 runs scored, 1 walk
The Brewers came into this game in third place in the AL East, five games back of first and three games back of the second place Tigers. Harvey Kuenn had taken over the Brew Crew nearly three weeks earlier, and the team made a miraculous turnaround. At this point, the Brewers had won four games in a row and were facing Oglivie’s former team in a pivotal series. The Tigers took an early 4-0 lead, but Oglivie helped close the gap to 4-2 on a two-run homer in the second. After the Tigers pushed the lead to 5-2, Oglivie hit another two-run homer in the fourth to cut the deficit to one. He would then hit a third consecutive homer, a solo shot in the sixth, to take the lead. Oglivie won this game by himself.
3. Robin Yount, 9/24/82
Opponent: Baltimore Orioles
Location: Milwaukee
Score: 15-6 Brewers
Line: 3-for-5, 2 home runs, 6 RBI, 3 runs scored
Holding onto a three-game lead with about two weeks remaining, the Brewers needed to play well in the two final series against the Orioles. This game would be the first of the series in Milwaukee, and a loss would bring the Orioles to within two games. With Don Sutton on the mound, the Brewers fell into an early 4-0, first inning hole. Yount, though, hit a two run homer in the first to cut the Orioles’ lead to two. With the game tied in the fourth, Rockin’ Robin hit an RBI single to take a 5-4 lead. Finally, Yount capped a six-run sixth with a three-run home run to give the Brewers a 15-6 lead that would stand.
4. Mark Brouhard, 10/9/82
Opponent: California Angels (Game 4 of ALCS)
Location: Milwaukee
Score: 9-5 Brewers
Line: 3-for-4, 1 home run, 3 RBI, 1 double
Mark Brouhard is one of the last players you’d expect to find on a list like this one. The fact that his performance was unexpected and on a big stage has a lot to do with why he is here. Starting left fielder Ben Oglivie was struggling and nursing an injury, so Harvey Kuenn inserted the little used Brouhard into the starting lineup for a must-win Game 4, the Brewers trailing two games to one. Brouhard responded by being the star of the game. In a scoreless game in the third, Brouhard hit an RBI single that resulted in three runs scored (including himself), due to errors. He then reached and scored on RBI singles by Jim Gantner in both the fourth and sixth innings to pad the Brewers’ lead to 5-0 and then 7-1. The Angels, though, fought back, pulling to within two runs in the eighth on a grand slam by Don Baylor. Brouhard responded with a two-run homer, giving the Brewers important insurance runs that would lead to their second win of the series. It would be Brouhard’s only appearance in the postseason.
5. Gorman Thomas, 7/27/82
Opponent: Texas Rangers
Location: Texas
Score: 8-2 Brewers
Line: 2-for-3, 2 home runs, 5 RBI, 2 runs scored, 1 HBP
Down by a half a game to the Boston Red Sox, a win combined with a Boston loss would result in a half game lead for the Brewers. Down 1-0 in the 4th to the Rangers, Stormin’ Gorman hit a booming 3-run homer to give the Brew Crew the lead. His next time up, Thomas hit a two-run homer to extend the Brewers’ lead to four. Gorman would reach four times and drive in important run after important run in this crucial win for first place.
6. Paul Molitor, 9/18/82
Opponent: New York Yankees
Location: Milwaukee
Score: 6-4 Brewers
Line: 3-for-4, 1 home run, 1 triple, 4 RBI, 2 runs scored, 1 walk, 1 stolen base
With a few weeks remaining in the season, the Brewers clung to a two game lead in the AL East. While the Yankees weren’t a factor, they could certainly play the role of spoiler. Down 2-1 in the second inning, Molitor connected on an RBI single to tie up the game. The Brewers would again fall behind, trailing 4-2 in the fourth. Molitor would again come through in the clutch, connecting on a two-run triple to tie it up. Later that inning, Molitor would score the go-ahead run on a Robin Yount single. Still leading 5-4 in the 6th, Molitor launched a home run to finish off the Yankees 6-4. He’d account for all but one of the runs in this game.
7. Paul Molitor, 10/12/82
Opponent: St. Louis Cardinals (Game 1 of World Series)
Location: St. Louis
Score: 10-0 Brewers
Line: 5-for-6, 5 singles, 2 RBI, 1 run scored
I had a hard time determining what to do with this one. It was the World Series. The first game. One of the most famous performances by a Brewer to this point. Paul Molitor set a World Series record with five hits in a game. But beyond that? I have a hard time putting it ahead of the other games listed so far. In fact, I struggle with even putting it in the top 10. The reason is that, while his five hits were record breaking, the performance didn’t carry the Brewers to victory. Each of his hits were singles, he scored one run and drove in two. Nice, but not all that big in a 10-0 win. Then again, getting on base helped extend some of these big run innings, but we’re reaching a bit. Still, it was a record breaking performance on the biggest stage. So there you go.
8. Gorman Thomas, 8/26/82
Opponent: Oakland A’s
Location: Milwaukee
Score: 10-3 Brewers
Line: 3-for-4, 2 home runs, 6 RBI
The opponent may not have been an important division rival, but the Brewers needed to keep winning in August to preserve their lead in the division. A win on this day would give them a 5 1/2 game lead over Boston. Down 1-0 in the second, Thomas hit an RBI single to tie the game. He’d later score the go-ahead run in that inning on a sacrifice fly. Holding onto a one run lead in the third, Gorman hit a 3-run homer to make it a 6-2 Brewers lead. With two down in the 7th, Thomas capped his day with a two-run homer to make it 9-3.
9. Robin Yount, 10/17/82
Opponent: St. Louis Cardinals
Location: Milwaukee
Score: 6-4 Brewers
Line: 4-for-4, 1 home run, 1 double, 1 RBI, 2 runs scored
It may not be the most eye-popping stat line, but it was a big performance in a big game. Tied up at two wins apiece, the Brewers would win this game to put them a game away from a World Championship. Yount singled and later scored in the first inning to give the Brewers a 1-0 lead. Nursing a 3-2 lead in the 7th, Yount added some insurance by smacking a solo home run. It was Yount’s second four-hit game of this World Series.
10. Paul Molitor, 5/12/82
Opponent: Kansas City Royals
Location: Kansas City
Score: 9-7 Royals
Line: 4-for-5, 3 home runs, 4 RBI, 3 runs scored
Up until now, all of the Top 10 performances have been in winning fashion. Despite the loss to the Royals on May 12, I couldn’t keep Molitor’s performance off of this list. Molitor would lead off the game with a home run, as he so often does, to give the Brewers a 1-0 lead over the third place Royals. He hit a solo home run in the fifth and an RBI single in the seventh to keep the Crew in the game. Down 9-6 in the 9th with menacing closer Dan Quisenberry on the mound, Molitor hit his third solo shot of the game. The Brewers may have lost, but Paul Molitor did everything he could to win this game.
Honorable Mention (The Second 10)
There are several other performances that didn’t quite make the cut, but are deserving of recognition. In no particular order, here are the “Second 10.”
Cecil Cooper, 7/3/82
Opponent: Boston Red Sox
Location: Milwaukee
Score: 7-0 Brewers
Line: 3-for-5, 2 home runs, 3 RBI, 1 double, 2 runs scored
Robin Yount, 8/24/82
Opponent: California Angels
Location: California
Score: 7-3 Brewers
Line: 4-for-5, 1 home run, 2 doubles, 3 RBI, 2 runs scored
Cecil Cooper, 6/29/82
Opponent: New York Yankees
Location: New York
Score: 11-4 Brewers
Line: 3-for-5, 2 home runs, 3 RBI, 3 runs scored
Gorman Thomas, 7/2/82
Opponent: Boston Red Sox
Location: Milwaukee
Score: 14-5 Brewers
Line: 2-for-5, 2 home runs, 4 RBI, 2 runs scored
Paul Molitor, 6/21/82
Opponent: New York Yankees
Location: Milwaukee
Score: 6-2 Brewers
Line: 4-for-4, 1 home run, 2 doubles, 2 RBI, 3 runs scored, 1 walk, 1 stolen base
Gorman Thomas, 6/13/82
Opponent: Detroit Tigers
Location: Milwaukee
Score: 13-5 Brewers
Line: 3-for-3, 2 home runs, 4 RBI, 2 runs scored, 2 walks
Ted Simmons, 5/2/82
Opponent: Minnesota Twins
Location: Minnesota
Score: 11-4 Brewers
Line: 2-for-5, 2 home runs, 6 RBI, 2 runs scored
Robin Yount, 6/19/82
Opponent: Detroit Tigers
Location: Detroit
Score: 10-3 Brewers
Line: 2-for-3, 2 home runs, 4 RBI, 3 runs scored, 1 walk
Ben Oglivie, 9/22/82
Opponent: Boston Red Sox
Location: Milwaukee
Score: 3-1 Brewers
Line: 4-for-6, 1 double, 2 RBI, 1 run scored
Robin Yount, 10/12/82
Opponent: St. Louis Cardinals (Game 1 of World Series)
Location: St. Louis
Score: 10-0 Brewers
Line: 4-for-6, 1 double, 2 RBI, 1 run scored