Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich says the team's fundamentals-driven style, known as «Brewer Ball», is difficult for other clubs to copy, even as the rest of Major League Baseball considers whether to shift its own approach. Speaking to OutKick after the Brewers won the World Series in five games over the Tampa Bay Rays, Yelich said the club's success rested on unity rather than any single tactic.
"Yeah, I think everybody tries to do it, but it's really hard to do it," Yelich said. "It takes a team that's together and everybody's bought in and going in the same direction. I think that was one of our biggest strengths, the togetherness of everybody and everybody sharing a common goal. Being willing to do whatever it took to accomplish that."
The title is the first in franchise history, and the celebration has spread across Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin. Yelich, who joined the Brewers in 2018, said he understood immediately what the championship meant to the fan base and to his teammates when the final out was recorded at Tropicana Field. He described the past several days as busy, with little sleep and a continuing series of appearances with supporters.
The style that earned the nickname emphasizes fundamentals and situational baseball. It stands in contrast to the launch-angle, raw-power approach that many teams have adopted in the modern game. The Brewers won 103 regular-season games before their postseason run, which included a sweep of the back-to-back champion Los Angeles Dodgers and a Game 4 that the Rays won on a walk-off, forcing the series to continue to a fifth game.
Yelich's comments suggest that the approach depends on a group willing to perform small tasks that decide close games, which he said Milwaukee maintained through both highs and lows during the season. Other teams may attempt to imitate the model, but Yelich's remarks indicate that the chemistry behind it is not easily transferred.
Yelich has continued to engage with supporters since the title. On Monday he surprised more than 400 fans at a Raising Cane's following the victory parade through Milwaukee's streets, joined by his mother, grandmother and dog Winston, signing baseballs and jerseys. Teammates Brice Turang and manager Pat Murphy also appeared on "Saturday Night Live" over the weekend.
"Just seeing people make memories and celebrate the championship with us," Yelich said. "We knew how much it meant to everybody and how much everybody wanted us to get this done. We've been close for a while now and finally getting over that hurdle and finally getting it done has been awesome."