Historical Moment - 2012 Brewers

, Monday July 29, 2019

One of the most talked about championship teams in league history is the 2012 Brewers.  Yes, the lineup was stacked from top to bottom offensively with hitters like Jordan Levy, Rick Berridge, Paul So, and Anwar Khan. Defensively, yearly gold glove contenders peppered the field with guys like Seidel, Allison, and Levy. Outstanding role players supported this team such as Nathan Mason, Alim Manji, Brad Marks, Dave Chong, Garry Lam, and Jay Rechtshaffen. But it was the pitching that made this team special with one ominous event in particular that will forever be associated with this team that also changed the path of one superstar.

Pitching was a luxury for this team which was lead by Rookie of the Year and Pitcher of the Year, Michael McFadden. Rounding out the rotation included other top tier pitchers such as James Allison, Alan “Axe” Akselrod, and Jordan Levy. Arguably, McFadden will go down as one of the most dominant pitchers this league has ever seen. His rookie campaign had numbers that were unheard of in this league. Can I interest anyone in a 5-0 record, an OBA of 0.082 (best single season record), and a ridiculous 72 strikeouts in 34.0 innings pitched? That’s 16.94 K’s per 8 innings! 

This team finished first in the regular season, earned a bye to the second round, and with the absence of McFadden in the 2nd round, the team advanced to the finals with two wins by James Allison. The Diamondbacks now stood in the way of the championship.  

The Diamondbacks were a very formidable team lead by Derek Zaretzky, Landon Wideman, Rob Katz, Peter Reesor, Jordan Winch, and a strong leadership core of Mike Vent, Zak Lalonde and Andy Boruszok.

Game 1 was played on a brisk evening with McFadden starting for the Brewers. The game started out as expected with McFadden mowing them down 1-2-3 inning after inning and the Brewers were in the lead comfortably with Mike throwing a no-hitter at this point.  

But then the unbelievable and shocking happened.

Typical sounds at a baseball game often include the smack of leather when a ball is caught, or the “ting” from an aluminum bat making contact on a ball. What you don’t typically hear is what could be described as a loud tree branch breaking in half out of nowhere. Well, that’s what we all heard in tragic fashion, followed by a tremendous McFadden scream. 

No one knew what was going on. McFadden whose pinpoint control was second to his speed and velocity, uncharacteristically threw a pitch that hit the top of the back screen. Immediately, he fell to the ground grabbing his prized left arm and that’s when we knew someone horrific just happened.

Mike finally stood up but was not okay. His left arm was supported by his right hand to maintain a 90-degree bend at the elbow. The left arm looked twisted and irregular and you can see on his face that he was in excruciating pain. Mike was driven to the hospital where later it was revealed to be a broken humerus bone.  

Both teams were left stunned on the field. The spirit of competition now shifted to the care and well-being of one of our own, regardless which uniform he was wearing. Could possibly be one of the hardest things emotionally to do is continue play when you know one of teammates is in pain and suffering. The Brewers held on to win that game to take a 1-0 lead.

Sensing the team needed a spark, James Allison and Axe were called upon to now be the aces for the remaining games. They took control the rest of the series and the Brewers prevailed as Champions with J.A. taking honours as both Playoff MVP and Playoff Pitcher.  

Truly a bitter-sweet victory for the 2012 Brewers. ~ PSo