Late in the 2017 season, Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff made his major league debut and finished the season with a record of 2-3, 4.81. In 2018, he appeared in 19 games, including four starts, going 3-0 with a 3.61 ERA.
Even though he was up and down during the season, his 0.73 ERA in September showed he could handle the big leagues.
On October 4th, manager Craig Counsell tasked him with starting the NLDS opener against the Colorado Rockies in a bullpen game.
They won 3-2 thanks to him, pitching three scoreless innings with no hits allowed. It wasn’t long after that before he appeared in the NLCS Game 1 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Having relieved Gio Gonzalez in the top of the third and pitched a scoreless inning against Clayton Kershaw, he led off the bottom of the frame with a home run that energized the Miller Park crowd and the rest of the Blue Jays lineup.
In addition, the ball was easily hit to center field and sailed over the fence. To make it 2-1, the Brewers scored one more run off him in the fourth, and he closed off the game by striking out the side.
Because of his superb two-way performance, he was given the credit for Milwaukee’s 6-5 victory.
Woodruff had hit a home run earlier in the season, and most crucially, he had hit one in AA in 2016, in his first game following the funeral of his elder brother Blake, who had been killed in an ATV accident.
The Mississippi State University graduate was a two-way player throughout college and still possessed a deadly bat stroke.
How Much Does Brandon Woodruff Make?
Brandon Woodruff earns an average of $6,800,000 each year. Woodruff will be paid a base salary of $6,800,000 in 2022.