Sal Frelick has made his share of big-league memories, but the Brewers outfielder still ranks one off-field moment near the top: getting the dinner bill before Christian Yelich could reach it. For a Milwaukee clubhouse accustomed to Yelich handling that sort of thing, the successful ambush—apparently on a road trip in Houston—felt like a small victory.
“He is always the one paying,” Frelick said. “A few of us finally got him this year. We got in behind him and paid before he could. I remember thinking it was one of the best days of my life—I paid for Christian Yelich.”
Yelich did not take the loss quietly. Frelick said his teammate was upset, insisting that was not how the arrangement was supposed to work.
A captain who had already been leading
The dinner was a fitting snapshot of Yelich’s place in Milwaukee. He had long functioned as the club’s captain before the Brewers made it official during the final weekend of the regular season, sewing a “C” onto his jersey. At season’s end, only Aaron Judge of the Yankees and Salvador Perez of the Royals were also active players wearing the captain’s designation.
- Yelich arrived from the Marlins in a major January 2018 trade.
- That fall, Milwaukee came within one win of the World Series.
- Over the next nine seasons, the Brewers built a run of eight playoff appearances in nine years.
- Now they are preparing for their third National League Championship Series matchup with the Dodgers, beginning Sunday in Game 1 at 8 p.m. ET on FOX, FOX Deportes and FOX One.
Before accepting the captaincy, Yelich wanted to speak with Robin Yount. The Hall of Famer played each of his 20 Major League seasons for Milwaukee, and Yelich did not accept until Yount gave his approval.
That instinct spoke to the weight Yelich places on the franchise’s history. It also fit the standard he says has changed around the club since he arrived.
“The expectation now is to be here,” Yelich said. “It has moved from going into Spring Training hoping to reach the playoffs to expecting to make a serious run once we get there. Everybody expects to be in this spot and capable of competing in this spot. That is what has developed over the last decade.”
The full Yelich ride
Yelich’s Milwaukee tenure has carried plenty beyond the October calendar. He won an MVP Award, finished second in another vote, made three All-Star teams and signed a contract worth more than $200 million. He has also played through the less glamorous parts of a long run with one club: slumps, a fractured kneecap and back surgery.
Through it all, Milwaukee kept outperforming expectations in baseball’s smallest market. There have been sudden postseason exits, too, and no World Series parade. The Brewers remain among five current franchises without a championship, alongside the Mariners, Padres, Rays and Rockies.
That drought has put Yelich under a postseason microscope at times. From his home run in Game 1 of the 2018 NLCS against Los Angeles until his RBI single in Game 3 of this year’s NLDS against San Diego, he went 19 playoff games without producing a run batted in.
Still, the clubhouse has not lost sight of the broader picture. Yelich has two years remaining on his contract after this season, leaving a limited number of chances for this core—and its captain—to finish the job.
Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold said the organization will need to find a lasting way to recognize Yelich someday. Arnold was not ready to place him among the Hall of Famers whose numbers hang in the ballpark, but he made clear that Yelich’s place in the franchise’s best modern era deserves its own tribute.
Leadership without the volume
Manager Pat Murphy sees Yelich’s impact as a story that has not received enough attention. To Murphy, the defining trait is not the awards or the contract, but the way Yelich has kept the focus on the people around him.
Murphy described him as sincere, considerate and natural in the role, rather than a player who leads by barking orders. “It is special,” Murphy said.
Brandon Woodruff, the only Brewer still on the roster who was in Milwaukee before Yelich arrived, said he became emotional when he heard the captaincy was becoming official.
“He is the voice of this team,” Woodruff said. “He deserves everything that comes his way. The meaningful part is that it has not been MVP-level success every year. He had difficult stretches and came out the other side. That is what leadership looks like.”
Frelick noticed Yelich’s reaction, too. He said the captain’s honor appeared to move Yelich more than any Silver Slugger, All-Star selection or MVP recognition had.
For now, the “C” is the public marker. The larger goal remains waiting somewhere beyond the Dodgers and the rest of October: the World Series trophy Yelich would gladly take over every individual honor he has collected in Milwaukee.
