Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team that plays in the National League (NL) Central division of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Brewers play in American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
In 1970, the Seattle Pilots, an expansion team created in 1969, moved to Milwaukee and became the Brewers. The team name comes from Milwaukee’s long tradition as a beer-brewing center. The Brewers were originally in the American League (AL) and, like most expansion teams, enjoyed little early success. In the late 1970’s, however, the team rapidly improved and made the AL playoffs for the first time in 1981. The Brewers reached the World Series in 1982, but lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. Brewers stars of that era included Hall of Famers Rollie Fingers, Paul Molitor, and Robin Yount, and key players Cecil Cooper, Ben Oglivie, Gorman Thomas, and Pete Vuckovich.
In 1998, the Brewers became a National League team. The ball club moved from County Stadium—the team’s original home—to nearby Miller Park (now American Family Field) in 2001. In 2008, a long period of mediocrity ended with a wild card appearance in the playoffs. Recent Brewers stars have included first baseman Prince Fielder, 2011 NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Ryan Braun, and 2018 NL MVP Christian Yelich.
Before the Brewers began play, Milwaukee was home to the National League’s Braves from 1953 through 1965. The Braves moved to Atlanta, Georgia, in 1966. For the World Series results of both Milwaukee teams, see Baseball (table: The World Series).
