The Brewers may have just been swept by the Reds in Cincinnati, somewhat slowing their momentum after winning six of their previous eight games, but MillerCoors is trying to keep Milwaukee’s postseason drive going strong. On Thursday, the beer-brewing team sponsor unveiled an initiative to give the Brewers bandwagon an extra boost and solidify the club’s home-field advantage, as it pushes for a playoff spot.
Jim Kanter, Milwaukee general manager for MillerCoors, announced that the company had purchased a total of 15,000 tickets for next week’s Brewers vs. Pirates series at Miller Park. Beginning Friday morning, Sept. 8, those tickets – 5,000 for each game – will be available to fans for free. Seats will be in the Loge Outfield, Loge Bleachers and Terrace Box locations.
"This Brewers team has fought all year long and they are now in a great place to battle it out for a spot in the postseason," Kanter said in a statement. "Miller is proud to call Milwaukee home and proud to call the Brewers our hometown team. We want to show our support by gifting these tickets to the best fans in baseball."
So, how can fans secure their seats?
Complimentary tickets will be available online only, beginning at 9 a.m. tomorrow at Brewers.com/MillerCoors. There will be a four-ticket limit per order, and seats will be available on strictly a first-come, first-served basis. There is a $3 processing fee per order; tickets will be delivered electronically to fans approximately six hours prior to the start of each game.
"We thank MillerCoors for this creative concept as they add an incredible fan value to what is already an electric atmosphere at Miller Park," said Brewers Chief Operating Officer Rick Schlesinger. "We expect the inventory to go quickly and encourage fans to act early."
Available game times and dates are as follows:
Monday, Sept. 11, 6:40 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 12, 6:40 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 13, 7:10 p.m.
This weekend, the Brewers face the NL Central-leading Cubs for three games in Chicago, before returning to Milwaukee for the Pirates series. At 72-68, the Brewers are 4.5 games behind the Cubs and one-half game behind the St. Louis Cardinals in the division, and 2.5 games behind the Colorado Rockies for the National League’s second Wild Card playoff spot.
With 19 of its final 22 games against divisional opponents – including 10 combined against the Cubs and Cardinals – Milwaukee will have plenty of opportunities to control its postseason fate.
Born in Milwaukee but a product of Shorewood High School (go ‘Hounds!) and Northwestern University (go ‘Cats!), Jimmy never knew the schoolboy bliss of cheering for a winning football, basketball or baseball team. So he ditched being a fan in order to cover sports professionally - occasionally objectively, always passionately. He's lived in Chicago, New York and Dallas, but now resides again in his beloved Brew City and is an ardent attacker of the notorious Milwaukee Inferiority Complex.
After interning at print publications like Birds and Blooms (official motto: "America's #1 backyard birding and gardening magazine!"), Sports Illustrated (unofficial motto: "Subscribe and save up to 90% off the cover price!") and The Dallas Morning News (a newspaper!), Jimmy worked for web outlets like CBSSports.com, where he was a Packers beat reporter, and FOX Sports Wisconsin, where he managed digital content. He's a proponent and frequent user of em dashes, parenthetical asides, descriptive appositives and, really, anything that makes his sentences longer and more needlessly complex.
Jimmy appreciates references to late '90s Brewers and Bucks players and is the curator of the unofficial John Jaha Hall of Fame. He also enjoys running, biking and soccer, but isn't too annoying about them. He writes about sports - both mainstream and unconventional - and non-sports, including history, music, food, art and even golf (just kidding!), and welcomes reader suggestions for off-the-beaten-path story ideas.
