You know things are going well for the Milwaukee Brewers when fans start thinking about free George Webb burgers … twice in one summer.
It didn’t work out when Milwaukee won eight games in a row during a surge ending in June, leaving Brewers fans four games short of the hallowed 12-wins-in-a-row mark that triggers Milwaukee’s greatest sports promotion. But now, the Brewers are closer still, having won 10 consecutive games heading into a three-game series in Seattle.
A wild sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers straight out of the All-Star break means six of Milwaukee’s 10 consecutive victories have come against the reigning World Series champion. It’s the first time the Brewers have ever swept the Dodgers in a season series and marks the first time since the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals that a team swept a season series of six or more games against the Dodgers. The Cardinals won the World Series that year, by the way.
Milwaukee emerged from Dodger Stadium with a 59-40 record, temporarily tied for the best mark in baseball. But most importantly, the Brewers are two more wins away from George Webb nirvana for the third time in franchise history. Plus, Brandon Woodruff will start for the Brewers on July 21 and Jacob Misiorowski will work the game July 22, so the Brewers will be putting their best foot forward for burgers.
Here’s what to know:
What is George Webb’s?
George Webb’s first burger-diner location was founded in 1948 at the corner of East Ogden Avenue and North Van Buren Street in Milwaukee. There are 20 locations in the metro Milwaukee area.
How many more wins do the Brewers need to trigger free George Webb’s burgers?
Through July 20, it’s two. The Brewers would need two more wins against the Mariners in Seattle to clinch the distribution of free burgers.
How many times have the Brewers won 12 straight games in franchise history?
Twice. The 1987 Brewers, better known as “Team Streak,” won the first 13 games of the year after getting as close as 10 wins three times. That included an unforgettable Easter Sunday victory for No. 12.
The 2018 Brewers won 12 straight into the playoffs, with eight straight wins to close the regular season and four wins to open the postseason.
When did the George Webb free-burger promotion begin?
The famous George Webb prediction dates more than 80 years, unofficially beginning in the late 1940s and then formalized in 1965 when the restaurant owners painted the prediction on the diner walls and advertised in local papers. Webb, perhaps apocryphally, once declared that if his hometown team won 12 in a row, free burgers would be served.
Webb never stipulated precisely what would happen if the minor-league Brewers won X number of games (the actual value jumped around, but 12 was the canonical declaration). It was presumed by many that there’d be a giveaway when the local baseball team hit the threshold. Then, the Braves left town after the 1965 season, so that got put on hold at least a few more years.
Son Jim Webb, then an owner and operator of the restaurants, formalized the deal of free burgers for 12 wins when the Brewers came to town in 1970, 13 years after his father’s death.
Three days after the Brewers won their 12th in 1987, the restaurants handed out almost 168,194 free hamburgers (some people still have theirs!). To meet the demand, then-owner David Stamm ordered more than 25,000 pounds of ground beef and went through 2,868 pounds of onions in addition to 367,180 slices of pickles.
Milwaukee won another 12 straight games in October 2018, sealing the promotional giveaway with a win in the first game of the National League Championship Series against the Dodgers. George Webb served up 90,000 burgers and handed out 100,000 free burger vouchers, then handed out the burgers after the playoffs.
The Brewers won 11 straight in 2021 but fell just short of yet another giveaway when Pittsburgh beat the Brewers on the Fourth of July, 2-0. The Brewers won nine straight two years ago and are on the longest winning streak since.
So, if the Brewers win twice more, they’ll just be free on Wednesday and it’ll be chaos?
Not exactly. See above. We assume it’ll be a lot like 2018, with vouchers handed out for a later date.
Are George Webb burgers good?
Scrumptiousness is in the eye of the beholder. They’re free — why are you complaining?
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: The Brewers are, again, within striking distance of getting everyone free George Webb burgers
Reporting by JR Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
