Wednesday afternoon the Brewers kept pace with the red-hot Cubs with a sweep-clinching win over the Twins (MIL 3, MIN 2). Milwaukee has won three straight games and the Brewers have a one-game lead in the NL Central over Chicago, who's won six straight.
The hero on Wednesday? Rookie Nate Orf, who was playing in his third career big-league game. The Brewers signed Orf as an undrafted free agent six years ago, and, as he tells it, he accidentally negotiated his signing bonus down from $1,000 to $500. Ouch.
Nate Orf said was offered $1,000 to sign as undrafted free agent. He said, "I will sign for Snickers bar." Next thing he knew, offer dropped to $500.
— Tom (@Haudricourt) July 2, 2018
Wednesday afternoon Orf swatted his first career big-league home run -- it was his first career big-league hit -- and it was an important one. The seventh-inning solo shot off Jose Berrios proved to be the game-winner.
Best of all, after he got done rounding the bases, teammates Manny Pina and Jesus Aguilar carried Orf out of the dugout on their shoulders so he could give the Miller Park crowd a curtain call. Check it out:
That's awesome. Orf spent an awful long time grinding away in the minors, waiting for his moment. He socked a game-winning homer Wednesday and Orf will more than make up for that $500 in lost signing bonus money when he gets his first big-league paycheck this month.
