The Brewers threw it back on the way to their first World Series title.
Before every game, the Brewers indulged in cigarettes while they took batting practice, hearkening back to the baseball days of yore in which players were synonymous with tobacco usage.
“You walk by the cage and see the cigs lit,” outfielder Christian Yelich told ESPN, “and you’re like, the boys are ready to rock.”
It’s not uncommon to see players celebrating a massive win with cigars in the middle of their champagne-and-beer-fueled clubhouse parties, though cigarettes are seemingly making a comeback in the big leagues. Several Guardians players were spotted enjoying darts after winning the AL Central last season,
This time around, the Brewers used them as “rally heaters,” as a way to get up for big games.
It worked.
Milwaukee entered the 2026 postseason as MLB’s top seed on the strength of a 103-59 record — one of two teams to break the century mark — and ran roughshod through their playoff foes, compiling an 11-2 mark against the Padres (3-1), Dodgers (4-0) and Rays (4-1).
In the NL Division series against San Diego, they batted .250 with a .688 OPS, and, much like the tips of their cigarettes, were just heating up.
Their sweep of the Dodgers came with a .250/.445/.792 slash line and 2.25 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. Against the Rays, with everything on the line, they mashed to the tune of .280/.396/745.
Players celebrated with them, too. Jake Bauers, Sal Frelick and Brandon Woodruff were caught taking drags following their World Series-clinching 4-1 win over the Rays.
Per ESPN’s Jeff Passan, every MLB team has “at least one player who relishes a dart now and again,” even after baseball banned smokeless tobacco as part of the 2016 collective bargaining agreement.
With baseball about to enter what promises to be a lengthy shutdown during the latest round of CBA talks, the Brewers have time to enjoy some extra puffs.
