Published: About an hour ago

Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE
The Milwaukee Brewers decided to dive into their farm system to replace the injured Marco Estrada and the gamble paid off as Michael Fiers recorded a victory in his first major league start.
Fiers answered the call and pitched an outstanding game against the hottest team in baseball in the Los Angeles Dodgers. He went seven solid innings and surrendered only one earned run on five hits while striking out three batters. The one run came at the hands of Andre Ethier, who now has 43 RBI on the season, so there is no shame in that.
Ryan Braun, Francisco Rodriguez and closer John Axford all played major parts in getting Fiers his first MLB victory. However, it was Fiers’ pitching gem that deserves the most credit for the Brewers 2-1 win.
It is no secret Milwaukee has struggled mightily putting together victories this season. To be able to win two games in a row against one of the best teams in baseball does wonders for a team’s confidence, especially when there are only five opening day starters playing. There is no way Fiers can fully understand the importance of his win. He showed the Brewers what it means to have fun while playing baseball and that winning is achievable if they just work together.
Braun silenced the boo-filled crowd when he crushed a two-run homer in the first inning. That alone calmed the nerves of Fiers, who showed great confidence in the bottom of the inning. Rodriguez came in and pitched great as he was able to garner the hold. Axford then entered the game in the ninth and shut down the Dodgers after the first two men reached base to record his second save in as many games. He threw many high-stress pitches as Los Angeles were threatening from the get-go.
“It’s something I shouldn’t be thinking on the mound, but I was,†Axford admitted. “I thought, ‘I’ve got to lock this down and get the win for Mike here.’ He did such an amazing job, coming out the way he did. He showed grit, determination, and didn’t show any emotion.â€
Axford was not the only Brewer who thought Fiers had a phenomenal outing.
“He was incredible,†Braun said. “To go through the amount of injuries that we’ve gone through, your depth as an organization is certainly tested so to have somebody to step up and throw the ball that well is huge for our entire team.â€
Fiers became the first Brewers pitcher since Yovani Gallardo to win his first MLB start as well as the first Brewer to win his first MLB start on the road since Nick Neugebauer. As calm as he was on the mound even he had to admit the nerves were rattling.
“I tried not to show too much emotion, but inside I was going pretty crazy,†Fiers said. “I was just pitching like I always do, just going out there trying to black out the crowd noise and the whole environment of Dodger Stadium. I felt awesome. I felt like I was having fun.â€
Having fun is what got Milwaukee a franchise-best 96 wins last season.
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