Turang's walk-off blast gives Brewers first sweep of Yankees this century

MILWAUKEE – The last time the Brewers swept the Yankees in a series spanning at least three games, Robin Yount was on the way to winning his second American League MVP Award, Paul Molitor led the way with three hits and 41,036 came to County Stadium on a Wednesday afternoon to see a team trying to play its way into a pennant race.

It was back in August 1989. Now the Brewers have done it again.

Blake Perkins hit a two-out, two-run single to cap a three-run fourth inning and Brice Turang hit a winning homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Yankees, 4-3, at American Family Field, giving a team that didn’t have any walk-off wins this season going into Saturday night two in a row.

It was Turang’s first career walk-off home run, and it came 20 years after Bill Hall hit a walk-off homer in the 10th inning to beat the Mets on Mother’s Day in 2006 – the first season that players started the tradition of swinging pink bats. Brewers owner Mark Attanasio later purchased that bat at auction, with proceeds benefiting breast cancer research, and gave it back to Hall for his mom, Virgie.

Turang’s bat was being authenticated so it could be presented to his mom, Carrie.

His first thought as he took it all in?

“To call my mom for Mother’s Day,” Turang said.

His homer gave the Brewers their third straight series win or split while pushing them six games over .500 for the first time since their 8-2 start to the season.

Sunday’s win capped a series in which the Brewers’ pitching held the Yankees offense to six runs, the Bronx Bombers’ lowest total for any series so far this season. Aaron Jones homered off Brewers starter Logan Henderson in the first inning of the finale as the Brewers fell into a 2-0 deficit, but Henderson retired the final nine hitters he faced on the way to five solid innings and four relievers held New York to a run on two hits the rest of the way.

In the series, Brewers relievers held the Yankees to two runs (one earned) on six hits in 13 innings, with 17 strikeouts, which is how one team sweeps another without a single home run until Turang connected against Yankees closer David Bednar with two outs in the ninth.

“He one of my favorite players to watch in the game right now,” Yankees captain Aaron Judge said this weekend of Turang, his Team USA teammate during this year’s World Baseball Classic. “At the plate, when we were playing for Team USA. I wanted him up with guys on base, in a big situation, because he always came through for us.”

Judge said he was rooting against Turang coming up in a big spot all weekend.

It turns out that two outs and the bases empty in the bottom of the ninth qualified as one.

“He's going to be a bright young star in this game for a long time,” Judge said.

What did those words mean to Turang?

“It means a lot coming from a guy like him, who’s very respected in the game,” Turang said. “He’s the captain, you know?”

Judge said he loved the way Turang asked questions throughout the WBC about how Judge prepares and how the Yankees operate, looking for any small thing to bring back to the Brewers. And Turang, in turn, appreciated Judge’s willingness to answer despite his many obligations as a Major League superstar.

That back and forth is exactly why Brewers manager Pat Murphy was so thrilled when Turang got the nod from Team USA.

“He’s got a ton of confidence in his game,” Murphy said. “The kid just keeps taking steps every time. It’s really, really fun watching it.”

Thanks to Turang’s heroics the Brewers remain baseball’s biggest momma’s boys. They are 37-22 all-time on Mother’s Day for the best winning percentage in Major League Baseball on the holiday.

In recent years the day has brought some particularly memorable highlights – including a few delivered by a hitter wielding a pink bat. Besides Hall’s game-winner, there was Martin Maldonado’s walk-off single to beat the Cubs in 2015 and Manny Piña’s go-ahead, three-run homer to finish a comeback from a six-run deficit against the Mets in 2017.

Lest the pitchers be left out, Freddy Peralta delivered a magical, 13-strikeout Major League debut against the Rockies in 2018 with his mom in the stands, watching him pitch professionally for the first time.

Now you can add Turang to that list.

“The pink bat, it’s pretty cool that they do that, actually,” he said. “The only day we get to swing the pink bat is Mother’s Day.”