MILWAUKEE — The Brewers did everything they could to keep Cubs fans from invading "Wrigley North" this weekend.
It just didn't work.
As the budding rivalry heats up, the Brewers held a special presale in February for every Cubs game to be held at Miller Park in 2018, permitting only Wisconsin residents to buy tickets.
After a few weeks, the Cubs-Brewers games in Milwaukee were opened up to the public beyond just Wisconsin residents. The only way it would've worked is if Miller Park sold out and that was most certainly not the case Thursday night with empty seats prevalent throughout the domed ballpark.
There's also the fact that Wisconsin residents could be Cubs fans, too, given Milwaukee is only about 90 minutes from Wrigley Field and the Cubs fanbase is global.
Despite the Brewers' efforts, hundreds of fans packed the seats behind the Cubs' third-base dugout before the games Thursday and Friday, straining to see their favorite Cubs players and shouting in hopes of an autograph.
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"We'll be here all weekend, every single day," said Melissa, a Cubs fan who lives in Wisconsin with her family. "A lot of Cubs fans live in Wisconsin."
Of course, Wisconsin residents could've also just purchased tickets in the presale and then turned around and sold the seats to Cubs fans on the open market.
"They're selling it to Cubs fans," said Cubs fan Danny Alvarado Friday at Miller Park after admitting he laughed at the idea of the presale. "I bought mine off a Wisconsin season ticket holder. They don't even want to come to their own Milwaukee games."
Some Cubs fans in attendance had no idea the presale even took place and had no issues getting tickets for Friday's game.
"First I've heard of it," said Kevin, a Cubs fan hanging out with the group behind the visiting dugout. "I don't know how you could do this with the internet the way it is, buying online and stuff. You can't just sell to Wisconsin.
"You're not keeping the Cubs fans out."
This series hasn't really had a different feel to it than typical Cubs-Brewers showdowns. Ryan Braun still gets a smattering of boos every time he's announced at his home park. There are still a shocking number of cheers whenever the Cubs score a run or get a hit. There are an awful lot of Cubs shirseys in the crowd, including a Fukudome one:
"We really love our Cubs fans on the road," Anthony Rizzo said before Thursday's game. "It's fun to come out and see a lot of Cubs fans. I'm almost certain, though, if you're from the state of Illinois and you wanna come see a game up here, you'll find a way.
"I've seen it before and I've seen Game 7 of the World Series about 60-40 [Indians-Cubs fans], if not 50-50 [Cubs fans]. I'm sure there will be a way to get the tickets if they want 'em."
So the presale didn't work. But you better believe Cubs Twitter was just itching for a chance for payback and they delivered by absolutely eviscerating @Brewers following Thursday's 8-0 Cubs victory:
What was the point of this all anyways? Melissa has a theory:
"I guess they're desperate to have something other than 'Go Cubs Go' blasting in the background."