Christian Yelich recently announced that he would miss the rest of the 2024 season because of his back injury. This isn’t the first time the Milwaukee Brewers have lost Yelich for the year — or at an inconvenient time.
Every time the Brewers are bound for the playoffs, it seems like they lose a key player. Injuries have affected the team heading into the 1982, 2008, and 2019-2023 postseasons, with 2024 on track to suffer the same fate. It appears Milwaukee might be suffering from a curse when it comes to losing key players before the playoffs.
Rollie Fingers In 1982
Embed from Getty ImagesBrewers closer Rollie Fingers won the MVP and Cy Young awards in 1981. That next year, Fingers had a nice encore following his award-winning season. He finished the year going 5-6 with an ERA of 2.60, 71 strikeouts, a 1.042 WHIP, 29 saves, and was an all-star for the second consecutive season.
However, Fingers suffered a right forearm strain that kept him out after Sept. 3. He was unable to pitch in the Brewers’ World Series appearance. There, Milwaukee fell in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Brewers haven’t been back since, leaving fans wondering what would’ve happened had Fingers been healthy.
Ben Sheets In 2008
Embed from Getty ImagesAs great as CC Sabathia was in 2008, Ben Sheets was the Milwaukee Brewers’ workhorse that year. He pitched nearly 200 innings, went 13-9 with an ERA of 3.09, and posted 158 strikeouts and a 1.150 WHIP. The 29-year-old also appeared in a second consecutive all-star game, but disaster struck Sheets and the Brewers.
Sheets had been battling soreness in September 2008, but it reached a crescendo on the final day of the regular season. He tore his elbow and had Tommy John surgery. With Sheets out, the Brewers lost the NLDS in four games to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Christian Yelich In 2019
Embed from Getty ImagesThis one still annoys Brewers fans to this day. Christian Yelich was seemingly on his way to a second straight MVP award in 2019. Though, in a September game against the Miami Marlins, Yelich fractured his kneecap after fouling off a pitch.
The knee injury sidelined Yelich for the rest of the season. Despite not him, the Brewers still clinched the final playoff spot but were eliminated in the one-game wild-card round to the Washington Nationals.
Corbin Burnes and Devin Williams In 2020
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Milwaukee Brewers couldn’t escape their late-season injury woes during the COVID-shortened season either. The 2020 season marked the beginning of Corbin Burnes’ rise.
After a rougher season the year prior, Burnes burst onto the scene in 2020, making nine starts, going 4-1 with an ERA of 2.11, and adding 88 strikeouts and a 1.022 WHIP. However, in his final regular-season start against the Cardinals, Burnes hurt his oblique, forcing him out and leaving him unable to participate in the postseason.
And in that same season, Devin Williams had a breakout year of his own, appearing in 22 games, going 4-1 with an ERA of 0.33, and posting 53 strikeouts and a 0.630 WHIP. He also won National League Rookie and Reliever of the Year awards but was left off the postseason roster because of a strained rotator cuff.
With Burnes and Williams both sidelined, Milwaukee was swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the wild-card round 2-0.
Devin Williams In 2021
Embed from Getty ImagesPossibly one of the dumbest injuries in Wisconsin sports history, Devin Williams’ 2021 season initially appeared to give Milwaukee a return to form following his breakout 2020. He finished the year appearing in 58 games, going 8-2 with an ERA of 2.50, and throwing for 87 strikeouts and a 1.185 WHIP. Williams even got his first experience closing games by picking up the first three saves of his career.
However, after clinching the 2021 NL Central title, the set-up man punched a wall in celebration. Because of that stupidity, Williams fractured his pitching hand and missed the postseason. Without Williams, the Brewers bowed out after Game 4 of the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves. To make matters worse, Milwaukee blew two different two-run leads during that final game.
Brandon Woodruff In 2023
Embed from Getty ImagesWhile Brandon Woodruff had an injury-plagued 2023, he was still a very dominant pitcher last year. In 11 starts, Woodruff went 5-1 with an ERA of 2.28 and had 74 strikeouts and a 0.821 WHIP. Though, the 30-year-old suffered a shoulder injury that forced him to miss last year’s postseason and this year’s as well. With Woodruff sidelined, Milwaukee was swept in the NLDS by the Arizona Diamondbacks 2-0.
Christian Yelich In 2024
Embed from Getty ImagesThis season, Christian Yelich was having a resurgent year. He made the all-star team for the first time in five years, a return to his MVP form. However, the former NL MVP suffered another back injury.
Despite his best efforts to rest and rehab, the injury has forced Yelich to miss the rest of this season. It remains to be seen just how much this will impact the Brewers going forward and into the postseason.
The Brewers’ Curse
Given how often this has occurred, I believe the Milwaukee Brewers are cursed when it comes to injuries. It seems like every time they are headed to the postseason, a key player suffers an injury at the worst time. Maybe it’s why this franchise has been snake-bitten for so long. While nobody will ever know definitively, those key players might have made a difference between the Brewers’ winning and losing.
For more on baseball, check out Belly Up Sports and follow Eric Katz on Twitter/X. Featured images from Getty Images
