On this day in 2001 the Padres stomped the Brewers at Miller Park, riding a three-run fourth and six-run sixth inning to a 12-5 victory. Leading the way for San Diego was 42-year-old leadoff hitter Rickey Henderson, who went 2-for-5 with a run scored and a pair of RBI in his final game in Milwaukee.
158 of Henderson's 3081 career major league games came against the Brewers, including appearances in four different decades. The Brewers first faced the speedy outfielder on September 3, 1979. Henderson stole 87 of his MLB record 1406 bases against Milwaukee, and scored 116 of his 2295 runs. The Brewers actually kept Henderson more or less in check over the years: His .777 career OPS against them was 43 points lower than his overall career mark (.820).
Henderson ranks 31st on the all-time list with 158 games played against Milwaukee. The career leader is Reggie Jackson, who appeared in 233 games against the franchise between 1969-87.
With help from the B-Ref Play Index, happy birthday today to:
- 2004-06 Brewer Mike Adams, who turns 35.
- 1996-97 Brewer Todd Dunn, the #35 overall pick in the 1993 draft, who turns 43.
- 1980 Brewer Dave LaPoint, who turns 54.
Today is also the 25th anniversary of Paul Molitor hitting career home run #100 in 1988, and the 13th anniversary of the Brewers holding Bob Wickman Poster Night one day after trading Wickman to Cleveland in 2000. We covered those events in this space last year and two years ago, respectively.