Opening day is a time for renewal. It is a time of fresh starts, high hopes, cockeyed optimism and excitement.

All those elements will be evident this afternoon at Miller Park, just as they were 30 years ago at County Stadium when the Brewers' franchise opened a new season and a new era.

On April 7, 1978, the Brewers opened their ninth season with a game against American League East rival Baltimore. After a one-day weather delay, a crowd of 38,777 gathered to watch the explosive, new-look Brewers -- sporting pinstripe uniforms and a "ball and glove" logo -- earn a resounding 11-3 victory.

Brewers starting pitcher and Wisconsin native Jerry Augustine pitched 8 1/3 innings to record the victory and Eduardo Rodriguez got the final two outs in the ninth.

"I think the one thing about being an opening day pitcher that is always kind of neat is that (being chosen) shows a sign of respect for what you've done for the ballclub and your value to the ballclub, and I respected that very highly," said Augustine, who finished 1978 with a 13-12 record and a 4.54 earned run average, in a recent interview.

"This was a young team that was coming of age and we had some really good young players so it was just an honor to be a part of that club. But to be named the starting pitcher that day, it just gives you that opportunity to get us started in the right direction. I think every pitcher loves that opportunity to be noted as the person who starts a team in the right direction."

Augustine received the opening day assignment from new Brewers manager George Bamberger, a 54-year-old Bronx native who left his job as the Orioles' pitching coach to take over the dugout in Milwaukee.

Though he had an amazing run of success in Baltimore, Bamberger never regretted his decision. He was honored as the Manager of the Year in 1978.

When speaking about Bamberger's strengths as a manager Augustine said the first-year Brewers' skipper "had a real knack of getting along with players.

"He'd try to take the game of baseball on a Major League level and put it in the easiest terms as he could for the players and was a good guy to play for," Augustine said.

"With George, he was very relaxed about the way he went (about) business, but he knew what he wanted to accomplish. One thing George did, he would always talk to his players. He communicated really well and you knew exactly where you stood."

Coming of Age

Compared to the inaugural game of the previous year, Milwaukee's 1978 opening day lineup featured five new starters and two veterans who would begin the new season at new positions.

One of those new starters was outfielder Larry Hisle, a coveted free-agent signing from Minnesota Hisle brought a potent bat to a roster that included Cecil Cooper, Gorman Thomas, Ben Oglivie, Sixto Lezcano, Sal Bando and Don Money who in 1978, would become the first Brewer in franchise history to be voted as a starter in the All-Star Game.

"Offensively we knew we could compete against anyone," remembered Hisle, who batted .290 with 34 home runs and 115 runs batted in on the way to being named Brewers' Most Valuable Player for the 1978 season.

"We had a great offensive squad. There were certain teams that we knew, just because of offense, if there was a three-game series, we were going to win two. Milwaukee was in that class."

"We are going to score runs," Brewers general manager, Harry Dalton told reporters in the days leading up to the new season. "The pitching may have some inconsistency because of the inexperience, but I think we're going to get better as we go along."

Dalton, honored in 1978 as General Manager of the Year, came to the Brewers after serving six years as general manager of the California Angels and, prior to that, six years as Orioles' vice president of player development.

"Harry was a dealer," said Lezcano -- who hit .292 with 15 home runs and 61 RBI in 1978 -- last month. "He always went into the market to get the best (talent) so that team could make it right away, turn it into a winner."

After averaging approximately 92 losses during its first eight years, Milwaukee was a team maturing into a contender in 1978. The Brewers recorded the first winning season in franchise history by posting a final record of 93-69 and a third place finish behind the New York Yankees (100-63) and Boston Red Sox (99-64) in the ultra-competetive American League East.

"We just swung the bat real well and pitched well when we had to, said Augustine, whose career in Milwaukee stretched from 1975-‘84.

"What happened other years, we all started out the season fairly well and could never consistently keep it up. I think one thing that happened in 1978, when George came in, he went to more of a consistent lineup. Our farm system started bringing up players that helped the major league team.

"Prior to that year they were a little young, but we got our feet wet in the big leagues and got to be a little bit stronger. I think that was the start of it. I think we started growing as an organization."

Raining hits

After a one-day postponement due to inclement weather, the Brewers seized control of opening day with a storm of offense that knocked Orioles starter and losing pitcher Mike Flanagan from the game after 2 2/3 innings. Flanagan was tagged for four runs and six hits.

"(Milwaukee's) got a good-looking lineup. They look strong," Oriole manager and future Hall of Famer Earl Weaver said at the time. "It will take a well pitched game to get them out."

With the Brewers leading, 4-0, in the fourth inning, Hisle, who had already doubled and scored in the third, deposited a two-run blast off of reliever, Tim Stoddard, into the left field bleachers for his first home run as a Brewer.

"I do remember hitting that home run," said Hisle, whose career in Milwaukee spanned from 1978-‘82. "What I remember most was that the wind was blowing in that day, and I didn't think balls would be able to be hit out of left field. But the young pitcher hung a curve ball right where I liked it, and I was luckily able to get enough of it to get it out of there."

Hisle's final statistical totals for the game included two hits, one hit by pitch, two runs batted in and three runs scored.

"I couldn't have written a better opening day than what we had there; not only for me but for the team in general, for beating Baltimore who year after year, after year would be battling the Yankees and Boston for that first-place slot (in the AL East)," Hisle said. "To start off beating them that first game, I felt, was a message that we just wanted to send to the league."

The biggest payoff of the afternoon for Milwaukee came from Lezcano, as the outfielder launched the first grand slam of his professional career off Stoddard in the seventh to increase the Brewers lead to 10-0.

"(The home run) opened up the game and we won real big," said Lezcano, who played in Milwaukee for seven seasons from 1974-‘80.

"I honestly believe, of all the players on that team," said Hisle, "that Lezcano's upside was the greatest. I just felt Sixto had a chance to be as good if not better than any other player on that team."

Bright future

Opening day in 1978 also marked the major league debut of Brewers rookie Paul Molitor. The 21-year-old received the opportunity to start when veteran shortstop Robin Yount began the season on the disabled list with a sore foot and elbow.

Molitor batted leadoff, collected one hit, drove in one run and defensively threw out the side in the sixth.

"He looked like a five year veteran," Dalton said about the future Hall of Famer and World Series Most Valuable Player after the game. "When we went to camp we had no thought of his making the club. After all he had played just 64 professional games (with Class A Burlington farm in Iowa). But we quickly started to realize he was real close, and when the Yount situation came up, he was it."

Special Day

Augustine took an 11-0 lead into the ninth but with one out, the Brewers' starter lost the shutout on a solo homer by Orioles' third baseman and future Hall of Famer Eddie Murray.

"I can tell you now it was a hanging breaking ball," Augustine recalled, "and he hit that sloppy breaking ball a long way."

Augustine failed to record another out as he gave up two walks, two singles and another earned run before Bamberger called for Rodriguez to shut down the Orioles.

"I wanted Augie to finish it," Bamberger said at the time, "But, he was a little tired and he was going underneath with the ball. He was starting to push it. When I went out there, I tried to get him to slow down his delivery."

After a sacrifice fly by catcher Rick Dempsey scored the final Orioles run, pinch-hitter Terry Crowley popped out in foul territory to end the game.

"Bambi made the right move," Augustine said of being replaced in the ninth. "I was able to hold (Baltimore) in check. Our offense just took off, the fans were going crazy, it was a great day at the ballpark. It got us off to a great start and that made it really special."