MILWAUKEE — Ryan Braun woke up energized before the opener of the Milwaukee Brewers’ final road series in the regular season. He was in St. Louis, home of the Cardinals, the team that always seems to block the Brewers from glory. The Brewers, at the time, held the top wild-card spot in the National League. But the Cardinals could overtake them with a sweep.
Braun would not let that happen. That afternoon, he strode into the visitors’ clubhouse at Busch Stadium and told his teammates he was ready to dominate — a bold statement for a player hitting .