Biggest hit in Crew history? Coop’s ’82 knock rates high

MILWAUKEE — Happy birthday, Coop.

That was the sentiment in the Milwaukee Brewers’ corner of social media on Tuesday, when Cecil Cooper, the sweet-swinging Brewers first baseman and a member of the club’s Walk of Fame at Miller Park, celebrated his 67th birthday.

Online well wishes prompted a specific memory for Brewers fans of a certain age, who forever will connect Cooper with one of the best moments in franchise history. His go-ahead single in decisive Game 5 of the 1982 American League Championship Series against the Angels, which Cooper willed to the grass in shallow left field at County Stadium, sent the fans into a frenzy and the Brewers to their only World Series.

But it was not the only big hit in club lore.

Candidates for the biggest hit in Brewers’ history range from the merely memorable — Sixto Lezcano’s walk-off grand slam on Opening Day in 1980, Rick Manning’s walk-off single with Paul Molitor and his 39-game hitting streak on deck in ’87, and Bill Hall’s pink bat blast on Mother’s Day in ’06 — to the truly impactful.

There was Hank Aaron’s 755th and final home run. Ned Yost’s homer over Fenway Park’s Green Monster as the Brewers chased the AL East crown in ’82. Robin Yount’s two home runs off Jim Palmer in the all-or-nothing ’82 regular-season finale and big blasts for Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun against the Pirates down the stretch in 2008 to keep Milwaukee’s Wild Card hopes alive.

Since it is Milwaukee, here is a six-pack of hits that stand above the rest. If you disagree, head to the comments to make your …

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