In the early days of organized baseball, many teams called Milwaukee home, including several organizations which would be considered the equivalent of minor league teams at the time. Often, Milwaukee’s teams didn’t have official mascots or names beyond that of the city they called home. Sportswriters would bestow nicknames on these teams, and sometimes those names would be officially adopted.  

Several early Milwaukee baseball teams were referred to as the Creams or the Cream Citys, in reference to the unique color of the bricks used in so many buildings in Milwaukee. The nickname the Brewers was also commonly used by scribes to refer to teams from the city that was home to some of the nation’s most successful breweries at the time.

More than a century ago, and long before Bambi’s Bombers and Harvey’s Wallbangers took the city by storm, the Milwaukee Brewers name was carried by men whose teams were just as eclectic.

From 1886 to 1892 the Milwaukee Brewers played in several different leagues. Their first two seasons were in the Northwestern League. From 1888 to 1891 the Brewers  were a part of the Western Association. 

The 1891 squad was a part of the American Association, having replaced a team from Cincinnati. They played in the Western League for one more season in 1892.

The Brewers reformed in 1894 and played in the Western League once again.The Western Association was renamed the American League in 1900 and became a major league the following year. After its lone major league season in 1901, in which they posted a dismal 48-89 record the franchise was relocated to St. Louis in1902 and renamed the St. Louis Browns. That 1901 American League  season saw Milwaukee’s unit of journeymen and upstarts finish 35 ½ games behind the Chicago White Stockings!

Future teams would immediately carry the mantle of the Milwaukee Brewers. From 1902 through 1952 the minor league Milwaukee Brewers were a huge draw at the city’s famed Borchert Field. The Brewers were a mainstay of the American Association, which was formed in the city after the major league team departed for St. Louis.  Over the years the Brewers were affiliated with big league clubs in Detroit and Boston.  During their 51 seasons in the American Association they won six championships (1913, 1914, 1936, 1944, 1951 and again in their final season of 1952.)

In 1953 the Boston Braves moved to Milwaukee. The team name remained the Braves and the Milwaukee Brewers would not be seen again until 1970 when, just before the season began, the Seattle Pilots were sold and uprooted after only one big league season. This squad filled the void left after the Braves moved to Atlanta in 1966.

Since 1970, the Milwaukee Brewers have been Wisconsin’s Major League baseball team. From County Stadium to Miller Park (now named American Family Field) the Brewers have entertained millions of fans at home games each year, carrying on the proud tradition of the men who first played for teams called the Milwaukee Brewers in the century before the last.

Key resource: Professional Baseball Franchises, Facts on File Press 1992. Photo credit unknown (Public Doman)