On September 9, 1992, Robin Yount recorded his 3,000th career hit at Milwaukee County Stadium as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers selected Robin Yount in the first Round of the 1973 draft from Willian Howard Taft high school. Rockin’ Robin grew up in Danville, Illinois, about four hours south of Milwaukee, and made his major league debut with the Brewers on April 5, 1974.
Just three days before, future teammate Hank Aaron would break Babe Ruth’s home run record in Atlanta. Over the course of those 18 seasons, Yount became a superstar in Milwaukee as he was a three-time all-star, two-time MVP, three-time Silver Slugger, and a Gold Glove winner in 1982. As for postseason success, the Brewers won the American League East in 1981, and the American League pennant in 1982. The Brewers had competitive teams during his career but fell short of the World Series.
Heading into the 1992 season, Yount was toward the end of his career. At 37-years old, the shortstop turned centerfielder was in the lineup every day, but did not lead the team offensively like in years past. The 1992 Milwaukee Brewers were in the hunt to win the American League East but must overcome the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles. The team had a core of Jim Gantner, Paul Molitor, and Robin Yount. The trio had played with the Brewers for 15 seasons together.
The Hit
Heading into September 9, 1992, Yount was hitting .257/.320/.381 with seven home runs, and 66 RBI. The Brewers were third in the American League East, 4 1/2 games behind Toronto. The stadium had 47 589 fans to watch the Milwaukee Brewers host the Cleveland Indians. In the crowd were Brewers owner Bud Selig, Texas Rangers owner George W. Bush, San Diego Padres owner Tom Werner, and American League President Bobby Brown.
After three attempts, Yount comes to the plate in the bottom of the seventh to face Indians reliever Jose Mesa. After strike one, Yount hits a liner into right and into the history books. The crowd roars in thunderous applause as the Brewers come out of the bench to congratulate him. “I found myself getting caught up in it because everyone else was caught up in it,” Yount said. “I’ll be honest — for me, it was a bit of a distraction. The Brewers would lose that game 5–4.
After the Hit
Robin Yount became the 17th player to obtain 3,000 hits and the only one to do it with the Milwaukee Brewers. Yount was the third youngest to reach 3000 hits at 37-years old. Since this night, 16 other players have achieved 3,000 hits. One of those was long-time teammate Paul Molitor. He had hit #3,000 in 1996 as a member of the Minnesota Twins.
Unfortunately for the Brewers, they would end the season 92–70, just four games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the division. However, Yount would play out the 1993 season and retire after 2856 games and 3,142 hits, all with Milwaukee. Yount was inducted into the Hall of Fame class of 1999, and had his number 19 retired by the Brewers shortly after. In the 30 years from this night, it remains a classic moment in Brewers history.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
Players Mentioned:
Robin Yount, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Jim Gantner, Paul Molitor, Jose Mesa
