Brewers name Christian Yelich franchise’s first captain – with Robin Yount’s approval

MILWAUKEE (AP) — In a historic move, Christian Yelich was named the inaugural captain of the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday, becoming the first active player in Major League Baseball to hold the title. Aaron Judge of the Yankees and Salvador Perez of the Royals are the other active captains in the majors. The 34-year-old Yelich accepted the honor during a team meeting before their game against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy stated that Yelich's leadership qualities were evident from the moment he suited up for the franchise. Yelich sought the approval of Hall of Famer Robin Yount, who spent his entire 20-year career with Milwaukee and captained the only team to reach the World Series in 1982. Murphy noted that "in Yeli's mind, Robin was the first captain."

As of Saturday, Yelich was not in the starting lineup for the Brewers, who currently hold the best record in the majors and have secured home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.