MILWAUKEE — One of the many storylines during this National League Division Series between the Chicago Cubs and the Milwaukee Brewers is Craig Counsell, the former Brewers skipper — and that franchise’s all-time winningest manager — who left Milwaukee in November 2023 to lead the Cubs.
Counsell’s connections with the Brewers and the state of Wisconsin run deep, and his team is looking to bounce back Monday night when it takes the field at Counsell’s former home ballpark, American Family Field, for Game 2 following a lopsided loss in Game 1 on Saturday afternoon.
Counsell grew up in Whitefish Bay, just north of Milwaukee on Lake Michigan, and his father, John, was a longtime Brewers employee. The younger Counsell played for the Brewers two separate times during his 16-year playing career, which he wrapped up with the Brewers in 2011 before joining their front office and becoming manager in 2015.
So when Counsell left the Brewers after eight-plus seasons, including five playoff appearances, for their NL Central rivals to the south, the rivalry between the two teams was significantly intensified.
“Being on both sides of it, I think the regular-season matchups are awesome,” Counsell said. “It’s a lot of fun. A lot of times, there’s extra energy from fans, and there are fans from both teams in the building.
“That’s always made it a lot of fun.”
Counsell was once beloved by Brewers fans, given his Wisconsin roots and his status as the franchise’s all-time winningest manager, so when he moved to Chicago, Brewers fans were furious.
Counsell has been soundly booed in Milwaukee whenever the Cubs have played there the last two seasons, and the intensity of a playoff series only makes the boos more intense.
“He just, like, moves to Chicago, and it was almost like a stab in the heart,” Brewers fan Josh Eggert said.
Counsell, for his part, said he moved 90 miles south for a new challenge. He also signed a five-year, $40 million deal with the Cubs, making him the highest-paid manager in MLB history.
“I mean, he got money, but he also grew up (in Wisconsin),” Brewers fan N.J. Delmore said. “Like, you grew up in Whitefish Bay, why are you leaving for the Cubs?
“You played for the Brewers. You were our manager, and then you sold out.”
Brewers fans certainly booed Counsell during Milwaukee’s 9-3 win in Game 1 on Saturday.
“It was huge,” Cubs fan Marissa Delgado said. “The booing was horrible. … The Brewers were like, ‘We’re beating Counsell.’ It was rough.”
Counsell certainly understands the fans’ passion.
“These are two cities that are close together, very close,” he said. “Each city’s residents have thoughts about each other’s residents. Harmless, obviously, so the proximity of the cities makes it fun.
“Proximity makes rivalries.”
But while Brewers fans may boo Counsell now, there’s at least one person with Counsell’s former franchise that still regards him as one of his closest friends in baseball.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy was Counsell’s college baseball coach at the University of Notre Dame and joined his former player’s staff in Milwaukee as bench coach in 2016, Counsell’s first full season as Brewers manager. Murphy has said that when Counsell left for the Cubs, he assumed he was going to go with him to remain his bench coach.
Instead, the Brewers picked Murphy to take over for Counsell as their manager.
It’s fair to say the move has worked out well for both. The Brewers have just continued the consistent success they established during Counsell’s tenure, winning the NL Central title in Murphy’s first two seasons as manager to make it three straight overall and four in five years.
Counsell, meanwhile, guided the Cubs back to playoffs for the first time in a full season since 2018 as the NL’s top Wild Card. And some Cubs fans think their new skipper gives them the advantage in this series against his former team.
“They’re going to be like, ‘Oh, crap. He knows everything about us,'” Cubs fan Joe Morgan said.
First pitch for Monday’s game is scheduled for 8:08 p.m. After a day off Tuesday, the series shifts to Wrigley Field on Wednesday for Game 3, with a first pitch of 4:08 p.m.