Christian Yelich still has pop in his bat.
It’s shaping up to be a very interesting MLB week, with the Milwaukee Brewers hosting their divisional foes, the Pittsburgh Pirates, for the next three games at American Family Field. The National League Central-leading Chicago Cubs are on the road in St. Louis for four games with the Cardinals. St. Louis is nipping at the heels of the Brewers, currently in second place, just one game behind them. It’s an all-hands-on-deck scenario for all four Central clubs. By the weekend, there very well could be a new first-place club.
The Brewers are hot. Winners of their last four games, including a three-game sweep over this past weekend of the Minnesota Twins, Brewers’ skipper Pat Murphy has to be especially ecstatic about his club’s offense over this period. Murphy’s hitters are probably who the Pirates’ pitching don’t want to confront at this time, with 43 runs scattered over the four games, produced from up and down his lineup.
The 17–6 victory this past Friday in Minnesota was the most runs scored in a game this season by the Brewers. Leading the charge was Milwaukee’s left fielder and designated hitter Yelich. To say the 13-year MLB veteran enjoyed a career performance only touches the surface of just how locked-in he was on Friday in the batter’s box.
Balls tossed by Twins’ pitchers must have seemed as large as beach balls to Yelich. There’s no waffling about the importance of Yelich’s bat in the lineup on Friday. He produced eight RBIs without hitting a home run. Until smacking balls around at will at Target Field for the start of the three-game series with the Twins, in the history of MLB, never had a player brought in eight RBIs for his club without hitting a home run.
Included in his offensive barrage were two base-clearing doubles. Yelich went 4–6 for the game. Also, to add more intrigue to the runs manufactured by Yelich on Friday, he brought around all his runs without scoring a single run himself. Along with his two doubles that scored six of his teammates, Yelich added insult to Twins pitching by hitting two singles, each scoring a run.
Better late than never, when Yelich, 33, reminded fans and opponents that he still swings a scary bat.
So much is counted on from Yelich, if the Brewers aim for postseason play. With less than a handful of games to be played before the season’s halfway point, Milwaukee is hanging tough with the Cubs and Cardinals with a 43–35 record. It’s unlikely that Yelich or any of his teammates will be turning out 8-RBI games in the near future. But knowing that the Brewers’ leader is capable of such dominance with his bat is a motivator. His amazing fortitude in bouncing back from an injury-laden 2024 season in and of itself creates a positive atmosphere in the clubhouse and dugout.
As for Sunday’s game, Yelich’s 73rd of the 2025 season, is on par with his performance last season in as many games. Heading into Monday evening’s game with the Pirates, Yelich is within eight at-bats from this time last season. He has clubbed three more home runs, with 14 this season as opposed to 11 in 2024.
This is significant since after 73 games last season, Yelich’s season was shut down due to lingering back problems. Last August, Yelich had back surgery. Dating back to the 2021 season, because of back issues, Yelich spent time on the injured list in April and May. Remaining healthy is paramount for athletes to perform at their highest levels. All along, both Murphy and Brewers’ general manager Matt Arnold haven’t waivered in their beliefs that in order for either a pennant or World Series flag to come to Milwaukee, a healthy Yelich is required.
Earlier this season, Yelich played his career 1,500th MLB game. As much as trainers, therapists, and nutritionists work their magic, the human body could be exposed to only so much physical abuse before breaking down. The stress on a batter’s muscles when swinging a bat one dozen or more times a game eventually takes its toll. With the success of being a three-time all-star, four times a Gold Glove winner, and twice winning the National League batting title, Yelich’s physical output was at maximum level. Now, in recent seasons, he’s paying the price.
Yelich, a first-round draft pick in 2010 by the Miami Marlins, was signed in March 2020 by the Brewers to a seven-year $215 million contract extension. Now, in his eighth season playing for Milwaukee, the commitment between Yelich and the Brewers remains solid. Each depends on the other to reach a mutual goal of landing the Brewers in the World Series, something the organization hasn’t done since 1982 when they were in the American League.
With Yelich leading the Brewers’ charge in 2025, reversing their World Series misfortunes of decades back just might become a reality.
