PITTSBURGH -- Rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt won’t soon forget the Brewers’ champagne celebration after the team clinched the National League Central on Tuesday night.
Unfortunately, that’s because Pratt watched it from the team hotel on the other side of the Allegheny River, where he’d been laid up all day with an illness.
“Obviously, I was happy for the guys and it was great to see them all celebrate,” said Pratt, who was back in the starting lineup on Wednesday against the Pirates at PNC Park. “But it was a rough day at the hotel.”
Pratt began to feel flu-like symptoms on the off-day Monday, when the Brewers traveled late in the day to Pittsburgh. The club worried he was contagious, so Pratt was ordered to remain at the hotel on Tuesday to rest. He had no problems following those instructions. Pratt said he could barely move all day.
“I didn’t really sleep the night before,” he said. “I felt absolutely terrible all day. I’m pretty sure that’s the first time in my life I’ve missed a game because I was sick.”
Pratt couldn’t find the game on television, so he listened to the Gameday Audio feed of the Brewers’ radio broadcast. Lane Grindle and Josh Maurer had the call of the Brewers’ 5-1 win over the Pirates at PNC Park, and then Pratt switched over to the final innings of the Braves-Cubs game.
When the Cubs lost, the Brewers clinched. The party took off without him.
“He called and wanted to come in to the celebration,” manager Pat Murphy said. “We said, no.”
“It’s too bad he missed the first one in his career, but sometimes you have to do what’s best for yourself and look out for the team,” second baseman Brice Turang said. “We all wish he was here. There was definitely some conversation about him not being here, but we all know what it’s like when you’re down bad and you don’t want to bring it into the clubhouse. We’re going to need him in the long run. If that day [away] is what it takes, then so be it.”
The Brewers made sure Pratt had some items to commemorate the occasion, including the Division Champs T-shirt that players wore during the celebration. He doesn’t drink alcohol, so they also saved a bottle of sparkling cider for Pratt to enjoy.
“Hopefully, I’ll get a couple more sparkling ciders in my career,” Pratt said.