March 18, 1953: The Boston Braves moved to Milwaukee, giving Wisconsin its first major league baseball team in modern history. The Braves, led by Warren Spahn, Hank Aaron and Eddie Matthews, played in Milwaukee for 13 years. The team's ownership disappointed Wisconsin fans when they moved the franchise to Atlanta after the 1965 season.

Milwaukee experienced major league baseball three times in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1884, the Union Association was formed as a rival to the National League with Milwaukee having one of the initial franchises. The team lasted for only a dozen games. Baseball returned to Milwaukee in 1891 when the Cincinnati team of the American Association moved to Milwaukee in the middle of the season. The league went out of business by the end of the season. The next Milwaukee franchise came in 1901 with the creation of the American League. The original Milwaukee Brewers baseball team was among the initial eight teams in the new league. The team stayed in Milwaukee for only one season, moving to St. Louis to become the St. Louis Browns. The Browns left St. Louis in 1954 and became the Baltimore Orioles.