The Milwaukee Brewers announced that former Milwaukee Braves pitcher Lew Burdette will be inducted into the "Milwaukee Braves Wall of Honor" and former Brewers outfielder/first baseman Corey Hart will be inducted into the "Brewers Wall of Honor."
The Brewers and the Milwaukee Braves Historical Association will induct Burdette into the Braves Wall of Honor on Friday, May 26 when the Brewers face the Arizona Diamondbacks. Hart will be enshrined on the Brewers Wall of Honor on Friday, June 30 when the Brewers host the Miami Marlins, becoming the 60th member to join the exhibit since its inaugural class in 2014.
"My life has been a complete blessing because I was a Brewer," said Hart. "My family and I will always be in forever debt because of the unbelievable experiences we had at Miller Park and the lifelong relationships we made at the park and in the community. Thank you from the bottom of my heart; I am truly honored to be inducted into the Brewers Wall of Honor."
"We are very appreciative of this honor and would like to thank the Brewers and the Braves Historical Association," said Mary Lou Burdette-Wieloszynski, daughter of Lew Burdette. "My father loved playing in Milwaukee and the encouragement from the fans meant the world to him. He often talked about the special camaraderie with his Milwaukee teammates, and he was very proud of helping bring a World Series championship to Milwaukee."
The late Burdette, who passed away in 2007, was a member of the Milwaukee Braves from 1953-63. He was named Most Valuable Player of the 1957 World Series, going a perfect 3-0 with a 0.67 ERA (27ip, 2er) in three starts (all complete games), including shutouts in Game 5 and Game 7. A two-time All-Star, he went 173-109 with a 3.53 ERA in 420 games (321 starts) with the Milwaukee Braves.
Burdette led the majors in a number of categories throughout his tenure with Milwaukee, including ERA (2.70) and shutouts (six) in 1956; winning percentage (.667) and lowest walks per nine innings (1.63) in 1958; wins (21), starts (39) and shutouts (four) in 1959; complete games (18) and lowest walks per nine innings (1.14) in 1960; and innings (272.1) and lowest walks per nine innings (1.09) in 1961.
Burdette will become the 16th member of the Braves Wall of Honor. Previous inductees include: Warren Spahn (2004), Johnny Logan (2005), Andy Pafko (2006), Bobby Thomson (2008), Bob Uecker (2009), Felix Mantilla (2010), Eddie Mathews (2010), Joe Adcock (2011), Frank Torre (2011), Hank Aaron (2012), Del Crandall (2012), Gene Conley (2013), Joe Torre (2014), Red Schoendienst (2015) and Bill Bruton (2016).
Hart, a two-time All-Star, spent nine of his 11 Major League seasons with the Brewers, batting .276 with 154 HR, 508 RBI and 83 stolen bases in 945 games. He was drafted by Milwaukee in the 11th round of the 2000 June draft.
The power-hitting outfielder/first baseman enjoyed five 20-homer seasons in Milwaukee, tied with four others for third-most in franchise history. Among the 38 players who have collected at least 2,000 plate appearances in a Brewers uniform, his .491 slugging percentage ranks sixth all-time.
The Wall of Honor commemorates Brewers players and broadcasters that meet a set criteria based on service to the Club (see pg. 38 of the 2017 Brewers media guide). The Brewers and Braves Walls of Honor are permanent displays outside of Miller Park on the North side of the stadium adjacent to the Hot Corner entrance. Honorees on each wall have a plaque with their photo and a brief synopsis of their career. The plaques are designed by Matthews International, designers of the plaques for the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
The "Miller Park Walk of Fame" will not have any inductees in 2017. A total of 30 ballots were cast, with five former players/managers coming within five votes of the 20 needed to gain induction. They include outfielder Geoff Jenkins (17 votes, 56.7%), Braves catcher Del Crandall (17 votes, 56.7%), pitcher Mike Caldwell (16 votes, 53.3%), outfielder Ben Oglivie (16 votes, 53.3%) and Manager George Bamberger (15 votes, 50.0%).
