Baseball

The Brewers of 2025 are reminiscent of the Expos of 1994
Maxime Trudeau
The Brewers of 2025 are reminiscent of the Expos of 1994
Credit: Photo: Los Angeles Times

If, at the start of the campaign, someone had told me that in September, with less than a month to go before the end of the regular season, the best overall team would be the Milwaukee Brewers, I'd never have believed it. And yet, it's true.

We knew the Brewers were going to be good, but not this good. After a difficult start to the season, the stars have aligned for them. The team spirit in Wisconsin is tangible. The youngsters have reached their full potential together at the perfect time, thanks to good internal development. In fact, the small-market club didn't buy free agents for hundreds of millions of dollars just to win games.

Doesn't all this remind you of the 1994 Expos?

Glaring similarities

It was a total meltdown at the start of the year for manager Pat Murphy's team. In their first four duels, they posted the worst run differential in MLB history at -32. They had given up 20 points to the Yankees in the second game of the season, enough to dampen fans' spirits. At the time, we thought the club's successes in 2024 were a flash in the pan, but no! They bounced back with a historic 14-game winning streak from August 1 to 16.

As for the Expos, they got off to a slower start over a longer period. They began the campaign with a 9-10 record. Nothing to write home about. The magic started to happen in June, when they posted a 46-18 record.

Earlier, I told you about manager Pat Murphy. He is respected by his players, as was Felipe Alou. These two men, who had little experience in a dugout, managed to install a winning culture right from the start with their respective teams. They also instilled a small-ball mentality, basically putting men on base and advancing runners. Today's baseball is played less and less like this, and that's a shame.

To play this way, you need speed and a good defense, and that's the case for both clubs. Remember the Expos field of Moises Alou, Marquis Grissom and Larry Walker? The Brewers can count on the rise of players like Jackson Chourio and Brice Turang, who dominate the infield.

On the pitching side, rookie starter Jacob Misiorowski revealed himself to the masses, earning him an invitation to the All-Star Game. You also know who was young and revealed himself as a starting pitcher in 1994 for Montreal? A certain Pedro Martinez.

Ken Hill was the #1 gunner for the Montrealers. However, Pedro was behind him to support him, just as Misiorowski supports stalwart Freddy Peralta. The latter, like his teammate, was present at the All-Star Game and is enjoying a good season.

Hoping for a better fate with the Brewers than with the Expos

No need to explain this subtitle. As a baseball fan, I hope with all my heart that the Milwaukee Brewers of 2025 win the World Series that the Montreal Expos of 1994 potentially stole from them.

Admittedly, the road will be strewn with excitement, not least because of the presence of the defending champions on the road to their destiny, the Los Angeles Dodgers. That said, it would be magical and heartwarming if the Brewers beat the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series! Who knows what might happen next in the World Series!

Milwaukee Brewers: 2025 World Series Champions. Sounds romantic, doesn't it?

This content was created with the help of AI.

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