Rockies’ Bridich has great trip home

Triumphant homecomings usually don’t occur at 4 a.m., but better late – or early in the morning – than never.

That was the time the family of Colorado general manager Jeff Bridich hit town Wednesday morning after the Rockies played past midnight to topple the Chicago Cubs, 2-1, in 13 innings in the National League wild-card game at Wrigley Field.

“We didn’t lay our head on the pillow until about 4:30,” said Bridich, whose family lives in Whitefish Bay, about a mile from the home of Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell.

The Rockies earned the right to play the Brewers in the NL Division Series with that victory, which put them in their fourth city in four days. Bridich’s parents, brother and an uncle were in Chicago to witness the wild-card triumph, made necessary when losing the NL West crown in game No. 163 in Los Angeles on Monday.

“We just roll with it, right?” said Bridich.

“That game was a tough one. You get to a point where you know any time it could be over. Those are stressful games. It was a late night but a good one.”

Bridich’s father, Rick, was a longtime teacher and coach at Marquette High School, where his sons attended and played ball, until retiring a couple years ago. Otherwise, he would have been out way past curfew on a school night.

Jeff Bridich was the youngest GM in the game when hired by the Rockies at 37 in October 2014, but the trend continued. One year later, the Brewers hired David Stearns, then 30. Both are products of Harvard, another growing trend in the game.

Both quickly rebuilt their clubs into contenders, with the Rockies edging the Brewers by one game in 2017 to capture the second wild-card berth in the NL. This season, both teams stepped up their game, tying for division crowns and forcing one-game showdowns. The Brewers won theirs against the Cubs, who were eliminated from the postseason the next day by the Rockies.

A true chip off the old block, Jeff followed his father to Marquette High and Harvard, both playing baseball at those schools.

Counsell is seven years older than Bridich, so their paths never really crossed in Whitefish Bay. But both families are well-known in the village, so there will be some divided loyalties when the Brewers and Rockies clash.

“I grew up a fan of the Brewers but that has to change now, obviously,” Bridich said.

“Any playoff experience is a special one. But, for me personally, this one is very special. It’s against a team I grew up rooting for; two quality teams that have been built up in recent years.

“Both teams played well at the end in tough divisions. Battle-tested and ready for this challenge.”

Noting his family will be on hand in the stands Wednesday and Thursday, Bridich said, “There will be some little pockets of Rockies fans here, I’m sure.”