Lucroy sets MLB record for doubles by catcher

MILWAUKEE — It may have taken him longer than he had hoped it would, but Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy made history at Miller Park on Saturday night.

A run-scoring double off Chicago Cubs left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada in the fifth inning was Lucroy's 46th two-bagger as a catcher this season, breaking Ivan Rodriguez's major-league record for doubles in a season by a backstop.

Lucroy now has 53 doubles on the season, tying him with Lyle Overbay (2004) for the franchise record with one game to play.

The double not only broke the record for Lucroy, but also the run that scored on the play was the difference in Milwaukee's 2-1 victory over the Cubs in front of 41,440 at Miller Park.

"I tell you what, he's one of the best catchers to ever play the game, obviously. It's a huge honor," Lucroy said of breaking a record held by Rodriguez.

"Really, honestly, I'm just happy to contribute to the win tonight, and I wish I could have done that more often during the season. It's one of those things that's kind of bittersweet, I guess.

"Records don't matter to me right now. The biggest record that matters is the win-loss record. I kind of keep that in mind when we go out there and play. Finish up the season on a good note and take it into the offseason, and try to get better for next year."

Lucroy entered Saturday with just two doubles in his last 13 games and hadn't hit one since Sept. 18 in St. Louis. With the Brewers out of the race, manager Ron Roenicke was going to leave his All-Star catcher behind the plate until he broke the record despite Lucroy appearing gassed after a heavy workload this season.

"Luc told me last night 'if you want to play me at first base, play me at first base,'" Roenicke said. "I don't think that's the right way to do it . . . It would be different right now if we were playing to get into the playoffs and he would feel different about it, too.

"We're talking about an all-time record, so I think it is important."

Lucroy has started 149 of Milwaukee's 161 games this season, including 133 behind the plate. Only Kansas City's Salvador Perez (141) has started more games at catcher than Lucroy in 2014.

The mental drain of the Brewers falling out of the postseason race combined with the physical toll of a heavy workload appears to have taken a bit out of Lucroy of late. He came into Saturday night's game in an 0-for-18 slump.

"I kind of got out of my approach a little bit since that last game in Pittsburgh," Lucroy said. "I started trying to do a little too much, especially considering the situation, where we're trying to win at the same time. I tried to do too much. But got back in the cage today and got back to where I usually am, and it worked out. I was able to get some good pitches to hit."

With the record behind him, Lucroy is unlikely to catch the Brewers' season finale Sunday. He may instead start at first base, as a 3-for-4 night Saturday raised his batting average to .299 for the season. If he goes 1 for 3 or better Sunday, Lucroy will finish with a batting average of at least .300.

"I've said it all year, individual stuff is great, but whenever it doesn't work out for the team, obviously it's bittersweet," Lucroy said. "It's something I wish could have been a little different. I wish I would have had a bad year and we went all the way to the World Series. That's the kind of guy I am. That's what I wish could have happened. Obviously, it didn't happen that way. You've got to move forward."

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