Wauwatosa Baseball Team Wants To Play On Milwaukee Brewers Turf

WAUWATOSA, WI—Eighth graders on the Wauwatosa East Junior Raiders baseball team will get to experience playing on a major league field.

As a send-off before entering high school, the team will play a game at American Family Field, home of the Milwaukee Brewers.

The special event is part of Big League Dream Day, an opportunity for teams of players who are 13 to 18 and high school-based teams to play a game at a major league venue.

The game is scheduled for 2 p.m. on May 18. The event is free to the public.

Big League Dream Day began in 2012 at American Family Field (formerly Miller Park) in Milwaukee as part of a collaboration among Major League Baseball teams across the United States, according to the website.

Owen Johnson,13, told Patch he has been a fan of the Brewers for years. The baseball player is thrilled to have a chance to play on the big field.

"It is something you dream about. It is the field of dreams," Johnson said.

Johnson enjoys the sport because of the competitiveness aspect and also a chance to play with his friends. His friends and teammates share Johnson's enthusiasm for big day.

Confidence Boost For Players

Todd Peterson, head coach of the Tosa East Junior Raiders, has coached about a thousand baseball games since 1984, he said. He is also administrator of Big League Dream Day and has coached teams that have played at the baseball stadium over the years.

Youth players are impressionable and often give up on baseball around that age, he said. "If you have bad throwing mechanics, and no one has taught you how to throw the baseball properly, you may fail and give up on baseball altogether," he said.

Peterson added that coaches need to work hard to rid players of bad habits.

"If you can teach them the right way to play the game at 13 and 14, they will flourish," he added.

Peterson came up with the idea for youth teams to play for a day on the big field. Wisconsin families buy game tickets or vouchers at the Big League Dream Day website for Brewers games. Each player needs to sell about 35 tickets or vouchers.

About $90,000 in tickets were sold the first year, allowing players to play four games at the field, Peterson said.

The team is selling tickets to Brewers games for the remainder of the 2020-'21 season. Peterson said the team needs to sell $12,000 in group tickets, or roughly 330 tickets, by the end of the Brewer season.

The pandemic has relaxed some of ticket amount requirements due to stadium capacity limitations.

"It's word of mouth, families getting people to the website, and a lot of leg work and asking favors," he said.

The team is committed to the Brewers and is excited about a potential once-in-a-lifetime experience, Peterson said. The opportunity to play on a major league field doesn't come along very often, he said. It is an opportunity he wants his players to have.

Peterson pitched during a Brewer Day event at the former County Stadium about 22 years ago. "It was a highlight that I remember like it was yesterday," Peterson said.

To help the team, visit the Big League Dream Day website or email Peterson at todd@bigleaguedreamday.com for game tickets throughout the season.