Brewers star makes confession amid NLCS: ‘I wasn’t always the best husband’
· Yahoo Sports
What do players think about while the National Anthem plays prior to each game?
For Milwaukee Brewers journeyman Jake Bauers, the Star-Spangled Banner offered a moment to reflect on his circuitous path to stardom Sunday, Oct. 11 — six organizations in the last nine seasons — and the effect it had on his family.
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“There’s a lot of people I can give credit to, a lot on the staff here for sure, but also I was thinking a lot about my wife,” he said. “We have two kids, and she’s holding it down at home by herself a lot of the time, which it’s a lot. Those kids, they’re a blessing and we love them, but man, they’re a handful.”
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Bauers nearly retired after the 2024 season, but resolved to continue playing when his wife, Lauren, became pregnant with the couple’s second child.
Being able to provide for his family came at a cost that still weighs on the 31-year-old first baseman.
“For her to do that and for her to allow me the opportunity to come here and kind of keep going and just support me any way she can, it’s been crazy,” Bauers said. “It’s been crazy to see her growth as a woman and a mom.
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“Yeah, so I was standing out there last night listening to the National Anthem, and I was thinking about her and just she stuck by me this whole time when it wasn’t always easy,” he continued. “I wasn’t always the best husband. I wasn’t always the best father.”
On the field at least, Bauers gave the Brewers an intimidating middle-of-the-order hitter that they’ve lacked in recent years. His career-best 26 home runs and 86 RBIs came eight years after his MLB debut — and coincided with Milwaukee’s franchise record 103-win regular season.
The Brewers took a small step toward their first World Series appearance this century by beating the Los Angeles Dodgers, 2-1 in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series.
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