During his three and a half years with the Milwaukee Brewers, shortstop Willy Adames reached new heights in his playing career. A beloved leader in the clubhouse whose commitment to the community ran as deep as his pride in the team he represented, Adames was an MVP candidate for the Brew Crew in 2024, making history by tying Ken Griffey Jr. for the most three-run homers in a single season at 13. He crushed 32 home runs that season — a threshold that no Brewer has reached since.
Those factors made the decision to let Adames walk in free agency two summers ago particularly difficult for Brewers' leadership and fans alike. No one wanted Willy to leave, but the cost of keeping him in Milwaukee was far too high for the Brewers' liking, as Adames' seven-year, $182 million deal wound up as the largest free-agent signing in San Fransico Giants history.
Even after departing the Brew City, local fans still treat Adames like he never left. That was clear when Adames' Giants visited Milwaukee earlier this week, and the 30-year-old Dominican sensation was met with a raucous applause from the AmFam Field crowd. Some of the hometown fans even cheered for Willy when he hit a home run in the second game of the series.
Adames took to Instagram, posting a video with the caption "414 your love never disappoints. 💛" The comments section was flooded with support, with many Brewers fans leaving remarks like "Always a Brewer!! We love you Willy!" and "Love you always, Willy....no matter what team you play for!"
That unyielding loyalty is a tremendous aspect of what makes Milwaukee Brewers fans so special.
Brewers fans prove their loyalty has no bounds with Willy Adames reactions.
In so many other major sports cities, a player who leaves their team to chase a pay bump would be ridiculed and effectively exiled by the fanbase. But not here in Milwaukee, where fans have a deeper understanding of the game and how their team operates from a business perspective.
Brewers fans had the foresight to see that Adames was likely going to get a massive contract extension that the team wouldn't be willing to match. They don't hold that against Adames. In many cases, fans respected the fact that a player who brought them so many memories got the payday he deserved. He received a massive round of applause in his first return to Milwaukee last season, and was greeted just as warmly this time around.
Professional athletes are oftentimes looked at as commodities instead of individuals, but when you give your all for the Milwaukee Brewers, that carries weight with the fans when you leave. You can't find that in too many places outside of America's Dairyland, and players carry that with them for the rest of their professional lives.
Never change, Brew Crew. You're at the pinnacle of sports fandoms, and for good reason.
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