Brewers opening day is a hit

Baseball season has begun and this year has been very different for the Milwaukee Brewers and their fans. To begin the season there was no tailgating and masks needed to be worn at all times throughout the game, even when fans were sitting down. 

Sophomore Edward Kuster attended opening day and he said that most fans followed the rules. “There were some sections that were more lenient than others. I think there wasn’t as much of a need for it when people were sitting in their seats since fans are already spread apart,”  he said.

Other COVID rules included fans not being allowed to bring snacks and drinks into the stadium and there is only a 25 percent capacity which means that only about 12,000 people may attend the game. 

Kuster is annoyed that they are not allowing more fans. “I think it should have been a larger crowd, but with the guidelines that Milwaukee County set I think their hands were tied,” Kuster said. American Family Field has not changed their rules yet. Fans are now allowed to tailgate into pods. Cars must be parked at every other parking spot.

The Brewers played the Minnesota Twins on Opening Day and  the game went into extra innings. It ended in the bottom of the 10th inning with a walk off chopper up the middle by Orlando Arcia which scored Lorenzo Cain from third base, putting the Brewers ahead 6-5. “The walk-off I think was a great way to start off the year, it really got the fans going. Once again it was an electric scene,” Kuster said. 

Speaking of Arcia, the Brewers recently traded him for two pitchers Chad Sobotoka and Patrick Weigel. Many people were very mad about the trade such as freshman John Pankowski. “He was a good teammate, and a fan favorite. His bat was very destructive towards the Brewers but he had a great glove. I think this trade was bad because they did not get any more hitters,” he said. 

Freshman Cody Sanchez, is a big Brewer fan and is happy about Cain being back as well as Yelich’s comeback from his knee injury even though he is currently on the DL.”I think that if the whole team and Yelich are healthy, we will be one of the best teams in the National League,” he said. 

Besides getting those two back, the Brewers acquired center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. who is batting 0.212 and second Baseman Kolton Wong, who is a great addition at second base, however he is currently on the DL.

In addition to Wong, the Brewers DL list also contains Yelich, Cain, and Urias. These players are a big key factor in the Brewers performance. Fortunately without them the Brewers have been on a roll.

There are mixed emotions about whether or not the Brewers will make the Playoffs. The Brewers most recent playoff appearance was in 2020 in the NL Wild Card Series against the LA Dodgers. “I am unsure about the Brewers making the playoffs, if they do,  I think it will only be able to make the wildcard,” freshman John Pankowski said.

The Brewers are currently  11-7, 4-5 at home and 7-2 away. They just came off a huge series sweep of the World Series bound San Diego Padres and take on the Cubs this weekend.