The Milwaukee Brewers are one win away from the World Series, but perhaps the biggest story from Game 3 was not the win, but rather the fact that Brandon Woodruff made his return to the mound in a Brewers uniform.
It's very possible that Monday night was Woodruff's last time pitching for the Brewers. If it is, then it's fitting that it happened at Tropicana Field, the same venue where he made his MLB debut in 2017.
Woodruff is the longest-tenured Brewer and one of the best starting pitchers in franchise history. He has spent his entire career trying to help the Brewers reach the World Series, but has dealt with countless injuries in the last few years. Despite the Brewers consistently making the postseason, he had not pitched in a postseason game since 2021 until last night.
Woodruff signed a qualifying offer last offseason and made nine starts this season before his shoulder started giving him trouble. He was supposed to have season-ending shoulder surgery, but things changed and he got healthy enough to be on the World Series roster.
It was an emotional moment to see him get the ball in the ninth inning, even though he gave up a run while the Brewers were blowing the Tampa Bay Rays out.
He revealed that he was supposed to start Game 4 as an opener and go as long as his shoulder would let him. If he decides to retire or the Brewers let him walk, perhaps it would have been the most fitting ending to his time with the team.
However, there is still something poetic about Woodruff potentially making his final pitch in a Brewers uniform on the same mound he made his first.