Fans flood Milwaukee for Brewers’ victory parade
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MILWAUKEE -- It was only fitting that the Milwaukee Brewers celebrated their first World Series title with a beer-soaked celebration worthy of their name.
“We’ve had way too many parade beers,” team captain and designated hitter Christian Yelich said Friday at a rally that capped a daylong party with fans. “I took the trophy to the face, got a black eye. It’s all worth it. It’s for you guys. We should celebrate forever.”
The small-market Brewers gave their long-suffering fans the championship they had been waiting for with a 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, clinching the Series in five games. It was their first time playing in the Fall Classic in 44 years.
That long wait made Friday’s celebration that much sweeter.
“Unbelievable,” said parade attendee Mark Diedrich, a 76-year-old from who has been an on-and-off partial season ticket holder since the 1980s. “You just never thought it would happen. But it did.”
Before the rally at American Family Insurance Amphitheater near the shore of Lake Michigan, the Brewers held a parade through downtown Milwaukee. Thousands of exuberant fans flooded the streets, watched from parking garages and cheered from office building windows.
Milwaukee city officials were expecting about 400,000 people to attend the parade and celebration.
“That was incredible -- incredible,” manager Pat Murphy said. “I kept thinking I saw the same people over and over, and we were just going in a circle. There’s no way there’s that many people who live here.”
Then came a rally that featured World Series MVP William Contreras joining in on the fans’ “MVP” chants.
“We win the trophy for you guys, for the city,” Contreras said.
The rally concluded with hitting coach Daniel Vogelbach performing a karaoke version of “Stacy’s Mom” by Fountains of Wayne and Hall of Fame shortstop Robin Yount riding onto the stage on a
The Brewers’ Aaron Ashby, right, holds the Commissioner’s Trophy as he celebrates with teammates during a rally at the team’s World Series parade on Friday in Milwaukee. (AP photo)
Mr. Baseball
Yount was an MVP when the Brewers made their last World Series appearance, losing in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982. By the time they got back, it was without Uecker, who called Brewers games for 54 seasons before dying in January 2025 at the age of 90.
The Brewers made sure he was remembered. The parade route ran through a downtown mural honoring Uecker, and 2011 MVP Ryan Braun led a “Ueck” cheer during the rally.
“God bless you, Bob Uecker,” Yount said at the end of the ceremony.
Lambeau Field
The celebration actually started well before Friday.
Several Brewers, including Yelich and Cy Young Award favorite Jacob Misiorowski, went to Lambeau Field for Thursday night’s Green Bay Packers game. They received a huge ovation, especially when pitcher Brandon Woodruff emerged from the tunnel in the second quarter holding the Commissioner’s Trophy.
A few players attempted a “Lambeau leap” into the crowd, with Frelick having the most success.
“It was unbelievable,” said Frelick, a former high school quarterback. “It’s been a dream of mine. I was in the end zone, I saw it, and I said, ‘I’ve got to go.’ So I went.”