Milwaukee Brewers (1883–1890)

Defunct Major League Baseball franchise

This article is about the original Milwaukee Brewers, now known as the Kansas City Indians. For the current Major League Baseball franchise, see Milwaukee Brewers.

* "The Brew Crew"
* “The Boys in Blue”
* **Worcester Driving Grounds Park**1881–1882
* **Brewers Field**1883–1890
* **Kansas City Stadium**1891–present
* 46

The **Milwaukee Brewers** were an American professional baseball team founded in 1881 as the Worcester Ruby Legs, who would later relocate to Milwaukee in 1883. The Brewers were a member of the National League and competed in the AL North Division. The Brewers played in Mikwaukee from 1883 until the franchise relocated again to Kansas City to become the Kansas City Indians.

The Brewers continued their success from their tenure as the Worcester Ruby Legs winning a World Series in 1883, becoming the first team in Major League Baseball history to win three consecutive World Series titles. The team continued to be competitive, winning two additional National League Pennants in 1884 and 1890 respectively; and winning the NL South Division title for five years out of their eight season in Milwaukee. The Brewers were managed by Jorge Rios, during their whole tenure in Milwaukee.

The franchise had an all-time regular season record of 291–202 (.590).

In 1908 Milwaukee finally got another professional baseball club when the Minnesota Norsemen relocated to the city and became the Milwaukee Brew Crew, later known as the Milwaukee Brewers.

## History

Main article: History of the Kansas City Indians
### 1883–1885: Move to Milwaukee and continued success

The Ruby Legs moved to Milwaukee and became the Milwaukee Brewers. The franchise's first season in Milwaukee saw the continuation of the dynasty started in Worcester. The Brew Crew won the franchise's third consecutive World Series title in 1883. Following the 1883 World Series title, the Brewers failed to win another World Series. The Brewers win the NL South Division in 1884, however they were eliminated from the postseason by the New York Raiders in the National League Divisional Series, two games to four. The following three seasons saw the team fail to qualify for the postseason for the first time, and the first time the team failed to qualify for the postseason in consecutive years. The Brew Crew won the National League South Division in 1885, but were unable to defeat the Montreal Expos in the World Series, getting swept in the series 0–4. In the following season, they finished 2nd in their division with a 37–23 record and were four games behind first place.

### 1886–1888: Struggles

In the 1887 season, the Brewers placed third in the division and regressed to 34–26 but were only a game back from first place in their division. The following season, 1888 was the team's worst season. The 1888 Brewers finished the regular season with a last place finish, and their worst ever record at 24–36 record; which was also their first ever losing season in franchise history. Manager Jorge Rios was nearly fired after the season; however he was able to successfully convince owner Chris Froula to remain in his post despite the mounting pressure from fans. This decision would prove to be a good one as the Brewers had a bounce back season and finished with their first division title since 1885 with a 34–26 record. Unfortunately, the Brewers were eliminated in the Panthers in the National League Divisional Series.

## Season-by-season results

*This includes only the seasons in Milwaukee. For the full history, see List of Kansas City Indians seasons*

The Brewers spent a total of eight seasons in Milwaukee before relocating to Kansas City.

## Postseason appearances

The Brewers appeared in the postseason in five seasons out of their eight seasons in Milwaukee. During that period they won 1 World Series, 2 National League Pennants and 5 NL South Division titles.

## Rivalries

### Jacksonville Panthers

The rivalry between the Jacksonville Panthers and the Milwaukee Brewers first emerged after the loss in the 1889 National League Championship Series. The Brewers lost the series to the Panthers 2–4, which made the following series in the 1890 National League Championship Series more competitive. The Brewers this time would prevail over the Panthers, and by the same score of 4 games won to 2 games lost. Combined, the two have faced off the postseason in a total of 12 games, with both teams posting a record of 6–6 (.500).

## Notable players

*Parenthesis indicates the player's tenure with the franchise*

* Bill McGunnigle – Played for the Worcester Ruby Legs / Milwaukee Brewers for eight seasons out of his thirteen seasons as a pro. Inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1899 and had his jersey number retired.
* Lee Richmond (1881–1892) – Played for the franchise and inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1898 and had his number 14 jersey retired.