SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Tonight, the Milwaukee Brewers could sweep the Tampa Bay Rays to win their first ever World Series title. For Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers, just being at the World Series is something he never could have imagined two years ago. He had planned to walk away from baseball, but then his wife got pregnant and they needed the health insurance, so Bauers decided to keep playing. And now he is one of the team's top stars, as Steve Futterman reports from St. Petersburg, Florida.
STEVE FUTTERMAN, BYLINE: Jake Bauers is having quite a post-season.
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UNIDENTIFIED SPORTSCASTER: And a high drive to the deep right field. Jake Bauers.
FUTTERMAN: In the National League Championship Series, he was named the most valuable player, as heard here on Fox.
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UNIDENTIFIED SPORTSCASTER: The Marathon Man at it again, and this time, ends it with the biggest swing of his big league career.
FUTTERMAN: Bauers helped the Milwaukee Brewers sweep the Los Angeles Dodgers, ending LA's two-year reign as World Series champions. Just two years ago, things were very different. Bauers was struggling. He ended the season with a batting average of .199. He was not a regular starter and was discouraged.
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PAT MURPHY: I was aware. He didn't talk to me a lot about it.
FUTTERMAN: Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy discussed it yesterday.
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MURPHY: We did have some really good life conversations. I knew he was frustrated. I knew he was in a situation where, like, wow, this is going to be me? I'm a part-time guy. I can do some things, but, you know, maybe never get the opportunity to be a full-time guy.
FUTTERMAN: So at the end of the 2024 season, Bauers, then just 29, decided after seven years in the big leagues, he would begin the process of retiring. But only a few days later, something unexpected happened that would change everything. His wife, Lauren, explained earlier this month to mlb.com.
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LAUREN BAUERS: You know, I told him I was pregnant, but I was still ready to figure it out, whether that's me going back to teaching or whatever we needed to do. And he said, all right, I'll give baseball another chance. And I said, OK, I'm ready to stand behind you, no matter what.
FUTTERMAN: The major factor in his decision, Bauers says, was the need to have health insurance, which every Major League player receives. Coming so close to quitting has given Bauers a new appreciation.
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JAKE BAUERS: I already accepted that I'm going to be fine without baseball. So when I came back, there was a lot less pressure because I already knew that life was going to be good either way.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do you enjoy it more? Do you appreciate it more?
J BAUERS: Sure. Sure, yeah. I mean, I'm grateful my wife got pregnant 'cause if she didn't, I don't know exactly where I'd be right now, but I'm just - I'm glad I'm sitting here.
FUTTERMAN: Last year, Bauers had his highest ever batting average. This season, he's having a career year, with 26 home runs. Last Friday, everything came full circle as Bauers played his first World Series game.
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UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER: Batting second and playing first base, No. 9, Jake Bauers.
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FUTTERMAN: Now the Brewers are one game away from winning it all. In the locker room last night, I spoke with Bauers.
J BAUERS: We haven't done anything yet until there's not another game to play.
FUTTERMAN: Optimistic, though?
J BAUERS: Focused.
FUTTERMAN: Tonight could be the night - a first ever World Series title for the Brewers and Bauers, made possible, in part, because of the need for health insurance. For NPR News, I'm Steve Futterman in St. Petersburg, Florida.
(SOUNDBITE OF NANCY BEA HEFLEY'S "TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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