MILWAUKEE -- It’s Opening Day all over again, this time with no winter hats and gloves.
Ahead of American Family Field’s return to 100 percent capacity on June 25 against the Rockies, the Brewers have moved that day’s first pitch to 3:10 p.m. CT and declared “Re-Opening Day,” complete with the usual ceremonial flair of a regular home opener.
Brewers icons Paul Molitor and Cecil Cooper will be on hand, and there will be what the team is calling a “special” national anthem performance before that day’s game.
“Re-Opening Day is a recognition both of American Family Field at 100 percent capacity for the first time since September 2019 and of the reopening of the City of Milwaukee,” Brewers president of business operations Rick Schlesinger said in announcing the plans. “We want our fans to experience all of the pomp and circumstance of the home opener as we lift the restrictions on capacity and pregame events.”
Single-game tickets for the full-capacity games go on sale beginning June 4, and keeping with tradition, the Brewers also announced plans for a “Tropical Tailgate” the night before -- a play on the annual “Arctic Tailgate” that typically takes place in February on the eve of single-game sales.
Fans will be allowed to camp out at the American Family Field box office the night of June 3 beginning at 11:30 p.m. CT. The Brewers will stage a midnight movie on a giant outdoor screen, and the first 500 fans in line the next morning will get a limited edition “2021 Re-Opening Day” t-shirt and an unhealthy breakfast complete with adult refreshments from Molson Coors, SKYY Vodka and Delaware North/Sportservice.
As a bonus for the hardy souls willing to camp out on concrete, tickets for the June 25 game and all home games thereafter will go on sale 20 minutes early at the box office at 9:40 a.m. CT. Online and phone sales will start at 10 a.m. CT.
Pitchers who rake
Eric Lauer’s home run off old pal and Padres teammate Chris Paddack on Wednesday night begged the question: Which Brewers pitcher has the most power?
“Don’t expect it from me,” said veteran left-hander Brett Anderson, a .125 lifetime hitter who doesn’t have a home run in his career but does have six RBIs, including one this season. “I’m not a big power guy. I think I might have to hit it twice to get it out.”
So, who flashes the most pop in batting practice?
“Corbin [Burnes] has got a ton of power,” Anderson said. “[Adrian] Houser’s got some good power. Woody [Brandon Woodruff]. Freddy [Peralta], not so much. Me, not so much. [Brent] Suter hit the other day, and the fact that he has a home run in the big leagues is ridiculous to me because he put on the worst two rounds of BP I’ve ever seen a professional athlete have. The fact he hit a home run off a former Cy Young winner [Corey Kluber], if there wasn’t video evidence of it, I wouldn’t believe it, just based off the BP display he put on two days ago.”
Brewers pitchers have a monthly contest, Anderson said, based on their performance at the plate, which includes hits, of course, but also sacrifice bunts and productive outs. Houser has been the runaway winner so far with a pair of home runs -- each off Marlins left-hander Daniel Castano in separate games.
Anderson said he’s still waiting for Woodruff, who famously homered off Clayton Kershaw in Game 1 of the 2018 National League Championship Series in one of the most electric moments ever at Miller Park-turned-American Family Field.
“If I have more times on base than Brandon Woodruff, something’s not going right, so he needs to step it up a little bit,’" Anderson said.
Last call
Christian Yelich was out of the lineup for Thursday’s series finale against the Padres, part of a planned series of breaks as the Brewers ease him back to everyday duty following about five weeks spent mostly on the injured list with a lower back strain. Since his most recent return from the IL, Yelich has a hit in only one of his first six games back -- a two-hit day against the Reds on Sunday that included his first home run of 2021.