Published: April 1, 2014
OPENING DAY: MILWAUKEE BREWERS 2, ATLANTA BRAVES 0
Warm welcome
Braun applauded by sold-out crowd during 1st AB of game
By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily News
MILWAUKEE — If there were any hard feelings toward Ryan
Braun, it was hard to tell.
A loud and standing ovation from the sell-out crowd of
45,691 on Monday at Miller Park for the Milwaukee Brewers’ opener against the
Atlanta Braves welcomed the 2011 National League MVP in his first regular
season at-bat since July 21 — 65 games ago.
“It was special,” Braun said. “It was an emotional moment
for me.”
For that first at-bat of what turned out to be a 2-0 victory
for the Brewers, the anxiety of playing a meaningful game again and doing so on
Opening Day got the best of Braun.
Braun swung at the first three pitches he saw from Atlanta
starting pitcher Julio Teheran, including one in the dirt. He eventually flied
out to left field.
“I think I kind of allowed the adrenaline and the emotion of
the moment to take over and had a pretty horrendous at-bat,” Braun said.
Going into the game, Braun was confident, saying he had the
best batting practice of his life before the game, which included hitting a
ball off the scoreboard in center field.
“I had a lot of adrenaline going,” he said.
He settled down in the fourth inning.
After Jean Segura drew a lead-off walk in the bottom of the
fourth of a scoreless game, Braun lined a broken- bat single into left field
and Segura got to third base.
Once on the basepaths and after two pitches, Braun easily stole
second base, putting runners at second and third with nobody out and Aramis
Ramirez at the plate. Two pitches later, Ramirez hit a line drive down the
left-field line for a two-run double and gave the Brewers a 2-0 lead. That was
all Yovani Gallardo needed.
Gallardo, making his franchiserecord fifth-consecutive
Opening Day start, was sharp. He pitched six shutout innings, allowed just four
hits, walked two and struck out four. He also threw 92 pitches, 57 were strikes.
He also passed former Brewers pitcher Teddy Higuera for
second on the team’s all-time strikeouts list with his 1,082nd career strikeout
in the third inning. Ben Sheets is the franchise leader in that category with
1,206.
'His command was good; the breaking ball was good,' Brewers
manager Ron Roenicke said.
Pitching well on Opening Day has been a struggle for the
28-year-old Gallardo. Last season against the Colorado Rockies, he got no
decision in five innings, allowing 10 hits, three runs, walked one, struck out
three and allowed two home runs.
“He did really well,” Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy said.
“I was really pleased.”
The focal point before, during and after the game was the
reception surrounding Braun. Most of the fans were all out in their support.
His jerseys were still being worn, including Franklin’s Chris Phirman.
“I’m still going to cheer for him,” he said. “He’s still a
member of my team.”
It was an eye-opening experience for the fans, players,
coaches and Brewers owner Mark Attanasio.
“It was very nice to see the standing ovation,” Attanasio
said.
Braun spent just about all offseason apologizing for lying
and manipulating Brewers fans and baseball fans in general for his involvement
in the Biogenesis of America antiaging clinic scandal, leading them to believe
he never took performance-enhancing drugs. Braun went more than a year denying
the accusations.
When he was suspended by Major League Baseball for the rest
of the 2013 season in late July because of the scandal, he accepted the
punishment, which turned out to be 65 games.
With it being Opening Day, the Brewers and Braun saw the
start of the season as a chance to wipe the slate clean.
“Outstanding,” Roenicke said of Braun’s ovation. “I’m really
glad it was that way.”
Not everybody welcomed Braun back with open arms.
“We did not stand up,” said Dave Kroll, a 41-year-old Oak
Creek resident, who was at the game with his 5-year-old son Hendrick. “We’re
against liars.”
The reaction by fans caught plenty by surprise. Most fans
thought the boos would’ve been more noticeable. They weren’t. Kroll is still a
Brewers fan, but not as much of a supporter or defender of Braun.
“I couldn’t believe he lied,” Kroll said.
Monday’s game was another step in the rebuilding process for
Braun with a community that’s adored him since his arrival into the major
leagues in 2007.
“Brewers fans are very forgiving,” Michael Hubbard of
Cedarburg said.
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