Milwaukee (AFP) – The Milwaukee Brewers celebrated their first World Series triumph on Friday with a rowdy parade as hundreds of thousands of supporters basked in the glow of a hard-earned crown. City officials said they expected a total of 400,000 people to line the streets for a bus trip through the downtown streets and a victory celebration at a city park, including Major League Baseball’s championship trophy.
“I’m on top of the world,” said Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick. “It doesn’t get any better. Look at these people. It’s so special.” Frelick screamed and waved at the crowd while holding the trophy and marveling at the passion of the fans who backed the club as it won an MLB-best 103 regular-season games, then dominated in a playoff run. “This is unbelievable. One of the best days of my life, seriously,” said Frelick, who promised fans, “I’m going to have a beer for every single person here.”
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It had been a wild 48 hours for Frelick, who helped the Brewers win the World Series on Wednesday night, jumped into the stands at Lambeau Field at an NFL game Thursday in an impromptu version of the Green Bay Packers’ famed “Lambeau Leap,” then joined the party parade on Friday. Fans began filling a park for the victory celebration five hours before it began, with many youth on hand as schools were closed for the day in the area.
World Series Most Valuable Player William Contreras drew huge cheers on the celebration stage, leading supporters in “M-V-P” chants. “It’s awesome,” Brewers captain Christian Yelich said. “Everybody has waited a really long time for this. We’re just really excited we could bring that trophy home in Milwaukee and share it with everybody that’s out here today.”
It was not the first time Milwaukee celebrated a World Series champion, although it had been almost 70 years since it happened. The 1957 Milwaukee Braves beat the New York Yankees in seven games for the team’s first title since 1914 when they were based in Boston. The Braves moved to Atlanta for the 1966 campaign, setting the stage for the Brewers’ 1970 debut. Milwaukee fans also held a parade for the 1982 Brewers, even though they lost to St. Louis in seven games in the club’s only prior World Series appearance.
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