Milwaukee Brewers set franchise record thanks to unlikely hero Andruw Monasterio

Milwaukee Brewers set franchise record thanks to unlikely hero Andruw Monasterio originally appeared on The Sporting News

To win a lot of baseball games in a row, you need a lot of heroes.

For the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday night, that meant it was time to enter Andruw Monasterio.

He pinch-hit with two runners on in the top of the 11th, a 3-3 tie game in Cincinnati. And on the first pitch he saw, Monasterio unloaded on a three-run home run way gone to left field.

It was his second homer of the season, a magnificent moment for the super-utility guy. And the Brewers would hold on to win, 6-5.

It marked the 14th consecutive win for Milwaukee, a new franchise record.

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It nearly wasn't meant to be. The Brewers were down to their final out in the top of the ninth, trailing 2-1. But when Sal Frelick ran hard enough to force an errant throw and get a runner home, the Brewers had life.

Milwaukee and the Reds each scored one run in the 10th, forcing the 11th.

That's when Brewers manager Pat Murphy, pressing all the right buttons, called on Monasterio.

In the first 13 games of this win streak, Monasterio had 13 at bats. In those, he did have six hits, so he clearly is ready when called upon, even if it's not often.

And on this occasion, he delivered the biggest swing of his life.

The Reds nearly ruined it the other way, getting the inherited baserunner home and then pulling within one on a Noelvi Marte solo shot.

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But then Nick Mears, who had never recorded a major league save, got a flyout to deep center to end it, and Brewers fans could exhale.

This was officially ground Milwaukee had never trod on. The Brewers needed to come back from a seven-run deficit on Friday, and this win in its own way was just as stressful, if not more.

And now, this Milwaukee group stands alone. The Brewers have played a lot of baseball. But they've never won quite like this.

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