Joe Torre will carry a lifetime of Milwaukee baseball memories into the World Series, from a teenage seat at County Stadium to his current post as a special assistant to the Commissioner. When the Brewers open the Fall Classic against the Rays on Friday night, Torre plans to be there for every game, much as he was for Milwaukee’s two Braves-Yankees World Series meetings in 1957 and 1958.
A packed ballpark brings back another Milwaukee era
Torre was at American Family Field for the first two games of the National League Championship Series last week, when more than 42,000 fans filled the building each night. The energy in the stands struck a familiar chord for the Hall of Famer.
He said the full house and the warmth of Milwaukee fans made the experience feel like a return to the 1950s. There was not an open seat in sight, and the crowd gave the ballpark the kind of lively, welcoming feel he remembered from his younger days.
- Game 1 of the World Series is scheduled for Friday night at 8 p.m. ET.
- The opener will air on FOX, FOX Deportes and FOX One.
- It will mark Milwaukee’s first World Series Game 1 at home since 1958.
The Braves hosted the Yankees in the opener of that 1958 Series at County Stadium. Nearly seven decades later, the Brewers have brought the World Series back to Milwaukee for the first time since their 1982 appearance, when they played the middle three games of the Series at County Stadium.
Torre’s Wisconsin roots began before his big league career
Milwaukee was already part of Torre’s baseball story before he reached the Major Leagues. His older brother, Frank Torre, was a reserve first baseman for the Braves during their World Series runs against New York. Joe attended every game in both the 1957 and 1958 Series, unaware that professional baseball would soon become his own path.
His connection to the state grew in 1960, when he began his professional career as a 19-year-old catcher with the Class C Eau Claire Braves. Torre batted .344, captured the Northern League batting crown and reached the majors that September.
His first Major League hit came in Milwaukee, a pinch-hit single against Harvey Haddix at County Stadium. Torre remembered the park as a relatively new home after the Braves’ 1953 move from Boston, and he still recalls one small detail from the old days: parking cost just 25 cents.
Torre then spent the opening six seasons of his big league career with the Milwaukee Braves before the franchise relocated to Atlanta in 1966. The Brewers arrived in 1970, remained at County Stadium until 2000, and moved into American Family Field the following season.
Two seven-game Series, one family memory
The 1957 championship remains a bright chapter for Torre and Milwaukee. Frank Torre hit two homers in that Series, including a shot off Bob Turley at Yankee Stadium, as the Braves beat the Yankees in seven games.
Joe Torre remembered the family’s appearance on the “Today” show after Frank’s big moment. Their mother, Margaret, was proudly discussing her son’s performance until she was asked to name her favorite player. Her answer, Torre recalled with a laugh, was Gil Hodges.
Milwaukee secured the 1957 title with a 5-0 victory in Game 7 in New York. Torre’s enduring image is Moose Skowron’s ground ball down the third-base line with the bases loaded, followed by Eddie Mathews stepping on third base to end it and set off the celebration.
The rematch a year later cut differently. The Braves had built a 3-1 Series advantage, only to watch the Yankees rally and win the deciding game. Frank Torre was charged with two errors in Game 7, a painful detail Joe still remembers, even as he calls the Series an exciting one.
- The 1957 Braves won Milwaukee’s first World Series championship.
- The 1958 Braves took a 3-1 lead before New York completed its comeback.
- Hank Aaron recorded both the first and final hits of his career at County Stadium: for the Braves in 1954 and for the Brewers in 1976.
- The Brewers’ previous World Series trip came in 1982.
A chance to add another championship chapter
A Brewers title would give Milwaukee another World Series celebration to place beside the 1957 Braves’ triumph. For Torre, it would also complete a remarkable circle: a boy watching his brother’s club play October baseball, a young catcher collecting his first big league hit in town, and now a baseball elder returning to see the city host the sport’s biggest stage again.
He was there for both of Milwaukee’s Braves-Yankees Series as a teenager. He intends to be in the ballpark throughout this one, too.
