MILWAUKEE — Brice Turang regarded good in his new uniform on Thursday night time, and his wasn’t the one variety of word.
After taking part in with No. 0 on his again for his first four-plus months within the Majors, Turang switched to No. 2 on Thursday and mixed with fellow rookies Sal Frelick, Andruw Monasterio and Joey Wiemer for 9 hits and 9 RBIs within the Brewers’ breakout 14-1 win over the Pirates at American Family Field.
Turang and Frelick every smashed a three-run residence run and mixed for eight of these RBIs on an evening Milwaukee matched its earlier season-high for runs (11) with Frelick’s homer within the sixth inning and matched its season-high for hits (16) with Turang’s single within the eighth. The 13-run margin of victory was the Brewers’ largest since their 19-2 win in Pittsburgh on July 1, 2022. It was a very good night time for Milwaukee’s run differential (as much as -2 on the season) and a good higher night time within the standings, because the Brewers pushed previous the Reds to get again into first place within the National League Central by a half-game.
All that from a workforce that hadn’t loved a lead of greater than three runs at any level throughout its earlier 12 video games.
“It’s always fun to watch guys perform and our pitching shut them down,” mentioned Turang. “It was just all together a team win.”
The Brewers wanted a kind of coming off a 1-5 street journey — regardless of some higher days on the plate for its defense-first second baseman. While matching his profession excessive with three hits in opposition to the Pirates, Turang improved to 11-for-26 (.423) over his previous eight video games, with a number of hits in 4 of these contests.
“That’s the Brice I played with last year,” mentioned Frelick, a former Triple-A teammate who did his personal injury Thursday with a go-ahead, two-run double within the first inning and two walks earlier than his three-run homer within the sixth for a five-RBI night time.
“It’s a tough league, and your introduction to it is challenging,” Brewers supervisor Craig Counsell mentioned. “You face some failure, and you’ve got to get through it. And [Turang] has faced it. He’s dealt with it. He’s continued to play spectacular defense. And hopefully, the way he’s carried himself and his attitude about it is paying off right now.”
It was a sentimental night time for the 23-year-old Turang, whose quantity change has been a very long time coming. The proof resides on Turang’s left shoulder: a tattoo of his father, Brian, carrying the No. 1 he sported with the Mariners in 1993 and ‘94. Next to him is Brice carrying No. 2.
“Two is definitely a number that means a lot to me,” Brice mentioned. “And the Brewers got it done.”
As a child in Corona, Calif., outdoors Los Angeles, Turang was assigned No. 13, and it caught with him. He appreciated that if you happen to related the numbers, it shaped a capital letter B. But as he grew older and discovered extra about his dad’s personal profession in skilled baseball, Turang related with No. 1.
How nice would it not be, he thought, to honor his dad by carrying that quantity in professional ball?
That thought hit a snag, nevertheless, when Brice was drafted into professional ball as Milwaukee’s first-round choose in 2018. The Brewers retired No. 1 on the finish of 2014 to honor their founder, Bud Selig, who was nearing retirement after 22 years as MLB Commissioner.
“I thought it was cool that my dad was in the big leagues and he could be No. 1 and I’ll follow him and be No. 2,” Turang mentioned.
He appreciated the thought a lot that in 2019, he bought the tattoo on his shoulder.
Turang wore No. 2 within the Minors as he inched nearer to the Majors, however now there was one other snag. In Milwaukee, No. 2 belonged to Luis Urías, who really most popular No. 3 however couldn’t have it as a result of it belonged to Orlando Arcia when Urías was traded from the Padres to the Brewers in 2019. Urías wore No. 9 in San Diego, however that was Manny Piña’s in Milwaukee.
If you’re questioning who may probably preserve observe of all of this, it’s Jason Shawger, the Brewers’ longtime gear supervisor and a grasp of the small particulars. Knowing that Urías all the time appreciated No. 3, a plan was hatched to modify him to No. 3 and Turang to No. 2 subsequent season.
But when Urías was dealt to the Red Sox on the final minute earlier than Tuesday’s Trade Deadline, Shawger requested Turang if he needed to maneuver up the timeline. The grasp of particulars had already cleared it with MLB and the Brewers, and he had even phoned Urías, who’d been taking part in at Triple-A Nashville.
Urías, realizing how a lot No. 2 would imply to Turang, was all for it.
Is he superstitious sufficient to attribute Thursday’s efficiency to the brand new quantity?
“No,” Turang mentioned with a smile. “Just hard work, man.”
Content Source: www.mlb.com