The Cubs’ 6-2 win over the Brewers Saturday night secured a series win for the North Siders, a notable feat. The series victory marks the first time manager Craig Counsell has won a series at American Family Field as the Cubs’ skipper and Chicago’s first series win in Milwaukee since 2022.
The last time Counsell won a series at American Family Field was against the Cubs in his last regular season series as Brewers manager in the 2023 finale. That was where the Cubs lost out on the postseason by one game, and Counsell would go on to manage his final Brewers postseason appearance.
It does not take a lot of deep diving for Cubs fans to remember the woes their team has had north of the border the past few years. Last year, the Cubs were 2-5 at American Family Field, losing a three-game series and a four-game series. In the first game of the first Milwaukee series, Counsell was showered heavily with boos from the Brewers faithful in his return.
The Cubs would go on to lose that game 5-1 in frustrating fashion. While it ended up being a win for the Cubs, it was also in Milwaukee when a defensive collapse resulted in Justin Steele’s famed, “Wake the f*** up!” moment in the dugout.
There were plenty of other painful Cubs losses in years prior when Counsell was leading the Brew Crew, going back to the latter part of 2018 when Milwaukee took over the rivalry on the field. With that said, it is nice to see Counsell win in his old stomping grounds in Cubbie Blue.
Although noting that the boos still rain down upon him, but he seems to be used to it by now. They made a statement on Friday night with the 10-0 win, and were able to really make it count by winning the series Saturday.
They went down quietly in a 4-0 loss Sunday, highlighted by a Shota Imanaga injury that cast a cloud over the weekend, but still return to Wrigley Field with another series win under their belts.
This season series is far from over, and the Cubs will go to American Family Field one more time in late July for a three-game set. Hopefully, the vibes continue – although we could go without any more key injuries