MILWAUKEE -- Perhaps it was the power of Pablo Sanchez that fueled the Brewers’ second-biggest inning all season, on a night they made it look as easy as playing a video game.
Once a giant, inflatable version of the Backyard Baseball video game superstar -- also known by his nickname "Secret Weapon" -- took a seat in the front row next to the Brewers' dugout in the bottom of the second inning, they rallied for seven runs against Giants starter Landen Roupp en route to a 16-2 win and a season high for hits (with 18) and runs on Monday at American Family Field.
Pablo didn’t appear in the box score, but the top three hitters in the Brewers' lineup -- Christian Yelich, Jackson Chourio and Brice Turang -- all tallied multiple hits, multiple RBIs and multiple runs scored. Chourio drove in three runs. Jake Bauers walked four times, one shy of the club record. David Hamilton and Yelich each had three hits and scored three runs. The Brewers scored at least 16 runs without hitting a homer for only the third time in franchise history (June 20, 2025, at Minnesota; April 16, 1990, at Boston).
All while feeling nostalgic for dial-up Internet.
“I used to rake with Pablo Sanchez,” said Yelich, who had three hits, scored three runs and drove in two. “I played too many hours of that.”
“If we’ve got to bring him back, let’s bring him back,” said Turang, who carried an 0-for-21 funk into the night and then put it behind him with a double and a triple. “I didn’t hear any talk of it, but if that’s what it takes, we’ll bring him back.”
Why was there a giant Pablo Sanchez mascot in the ballpark in the first place? He was there promoting the Brewers’ Backyard Baseball Night at the ballpark on Wednesday. Fans who purchase the special ticket package will get a Brewers-themed Pablo bobblehead to take home.
Tickets are available at Brewers.com/ThemeNights.
What did Turang think when he saw a giant mascot sitting in the seats?
“I only saw his head,” Turang said. “You couldn’t not see it. It was massive. It was fun.”
By the bottom of the eighth inning, a Giants infielder -- Buddy Kennedy, just called up from the Minors on Monday afternoon -- was pitching for the visitors, and the Brewers had exceeded the season-high 14 runs they’d scored on Opening Day against the White Sox.
It all started in the second, Milwaukee’s highest-scoring inning since an eight-run sixth against the D-backs on April 28. Bauers started it all when he challenged a called Strike 3 in a full count leading off the inning and won, leading to a walk. The Brewers were off to the races.
“That started the whole thing,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said.
Sal Frelick cashed in with an RBI double, then Luis Rengifo tied the game with a run-scoring single.
And the Brewers kept going. Chourio, who’d missed catching Matt Chapman’s two-run home run by mere inches in center field in the top of that inning, got those runs back with a two-run double for a 4-2 lead. Then Turang hit a two-run triple on a deep drive that caromed off the angled part of the center-field wall and had fans thinking about an inside-the-park home run. But Turang hadn’t gotten out of the batter’s box fast enough.
“I honestly thought I hit it to center as a sac fly, and the ball just kept going,” Turang said. “I was like, ‘Oh, this might hit the wall.’ That’s when I turned the jets on.”
Getting Turang going had been a high priority for the Brewers and Murphy, who shared an analogy with reporters on Monday afternoon about a shopper going to the store to get something he really wants, and the store says it has the item in stock only to go home empty-handed day after day. At some point, the shopper starts to question whether it’s worth it.
He was so proud of the analogy that he shared it before the game with Turang, and Turang said it gave him something to think about. He doubled in his first at-bat to snap his hitless streak.
“I’m proud of the way he hung with it and came up big tonight,” Murphy said.
Turang didn’t stay at third for long, because William Contreras hit a sacrifice fly to make it a seven-run inning and give the Brewers a 7-2 lead.
It was around that time that Pablo had to go. As he was led up the aisle toward the concourse, the Brewers' rally fizzled. Bauers made the final out, but there were plenty more hits and runs to come.
“Fun game,” Murphy said.