Prince Fielder: 9 Unforgettable Moments from His Milwaukee Brewers Career

Whatever hope that remained in the hearts of Milwaukee Brewers fans of the club being able to re-sign beloved first baseman Prince Fielder this offseason has officially vanished today, when the 27-year-old slugger signed a nine-year, $214 million contract with the Detroit Tigers, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

It's been an indelibly memorable career for the hefty first baseman in Milwaukee, needless to say. Fans watched in awe from the time he was drafted in 2002 to his exit just hours ago with great appreciation for what he brought to the Brewers.

Here are nine unforgettable moments from his Milwaukee Brewers tenure.

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Alec Dopp covers the Milwaukee Brewers as a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @alecdopp and read his blog.

The Debut

On Monday, June 15, 2005, against the team formerly known as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Fielder made his major league debut in front of crowd of 8,878 at Tropicana Field.  However, he wasn't in what would become his normal spot in the lineup.

Lyle Overbay started at first base for the Brewers, and Fielder served as a designated hitter.  He went 0-for-4 and saw just eight total pitches in his first big league game in a 5-3 losing effort against Lou Pinella and Company.

Granted, this wasn't exactly a dominating performance by Fielder, but it ushered in a whole new era of baseball for the Brewers and would be the first of many unforgettable performances in his career with Milwaukee.

The First Home Run

And the legend begins.

In front of a crowd of 44,685 at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Fielder went yard for the first time in his career, brandishing the eminent power swing that we now know today.  The home run off Johan Santana would put the Brewers ahead of the Minnesota Twins and would prove to be the deciding factor in the game.

It's safe to say that Bernie Brewer was a happy camper that day.

All of 2007

Prince Fielder was a living, breathing highlight reel in 2007.

In just his second season as the full-time starter at first base for the Brewers, Fielder did the previously unthinkable by becoming the youngest player in MLB history to notch 50 home runs in a single season.

During that season, Fielder batted .288 with 50 home runs and 119 RBI.  He also scored 109 runs, garnered a .618 slugging percentage and 1.109 OPS on his way to finishing third in NL MVP voting. 

This may very well go down as the greatest single season a player has ever had in Brewers history.

The Shot(s) Heard 'round the World

In what I, personally, like to call the greatest YouTube video in history, Prince Fielder (along with Ryan Braun) helped send the Brewers to the postseason late in the 2008 regular season.

In the middle of a crucial race to capture the National League's lone wild-card spot in 2008, Fielder blasted a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

At the time, the Brewers were one game behind the New York Mets in the wild-card race, desperate for wins in order to make the postseason for the first time 26 years.

This was undoubtedly one of Fielder's most clutch home runs in his historic career with the Brewers.

Feel free to watch Braun's home run that put the Brewers into the playoffs later in the clip.  It may be the greatest call in baseball history.

The Inside-the-Park Home Run

On June 17, 2009, Prince Fielder launched a mile-high pop-up into the right-center field gap at the Metrodome against the Minnesota Twins.

The result probably wasn't what you expected.

The outfielder—bless his soul—lost track of the ball and Fielder would wind up sprinting home to score an inside-the-park home run.

I guess you can understand the irony here.

Home Run Derby Title

At the Midsummer Classic in 2009 at Busch Stadium, Prince Fielder took home the Home Run Derby title by blasting 23 total home runs, warding off Texas Rangers star Nelson Cruz by one homer in the finals.

Obviously, this doesn't really count for much.  However, not only did it give Brewers fans something to cheer for in a season where their team went just 80-82, but it also put Fielder in the record books for the one thing he does best.

The (In)famous Celebration

On September 6, 2009, Prince Fielder bombed a 12th-inning walk-off home run over the fence at Miller Park to beat the San Francisco Giants.  But for as superb as his clutchness may have been, it was his celebratory actions that grabbed the attention of fans across the nation.

Fielder jumped onto home plate and flew his hands into the air, and the entire Brewers roster fell back, reenacting a "boom goes the dynamite"-type celebration.

Say what you want about how Milwaukee liked to celebrate once upon a time, but there's no denying how original and likeable this celebration was.

Three-Home Run Game

On September 27, 2011, Fielder blasted three home runs in a winning effort against the Pirates at Miller Park.

The win would go a long way toward the Brewers winning the NL Central for the first time in franchise history, and would once again show just how clutch he can be in front of the loving Brewer fanbase.

Goodbye, Prince

OK, so he didn't actually do anything here, but it remains arguably the greatest moment in Brewers history, and you'd better believe Prince Fielder was a part of it.

From Brewers fans everywhere: Goodbye, Prince.  It was a great run.