With 3-Home Run Effort, Prince Fielder's Departure out of Milwaukee Now Imminent

The 2011 Milwaukee Brewers, in theory, could go down as the most successful team in the franchise's 42-year history.

In the club's 6-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night, Ron Roenicke and his record-breaking crew surpassed what was previously the franchise's record for home wins in a season (55), with winning their 56th home victory of the season.  The win would be enough to put the Brewers at a 95-66 overall mark, with one final game remaining with the postseason just around the corner.

The game would also prove to be a historic night for Prince Fielder.

In three at-bats during Tuesday night's memorable victory, Milwaukee's first baseman launched three home runs off Pittsburgh's pitching, marking the first time the slugger had ever reached such a feat.  His three-home run effort would become the third instance this season a player managed three home runs in a game (Casey McGehee, Corey Hart).

Fielder, who has been presumably losing ground on Matt Kemp and fellow teammate Ryan Braun in the NL MVP race over the past few weeks, could have bought a few more votes after his performance on Tuesday night.  With one game remaining, Fielder is now tied for the league lead in home runs (38) and is second in RBIs (120).

The production out of Milwaukee's hearty slugger this season has been enough to put the Brewers over the top and into the postseason for just the second time since 1982, and will likely be enough to make him one of MLB's most highly payed players next season and into the future.

For the past few months, Brewer fans have been clinging to the hope the Fielder will re-sign with Milwaukee this offseason.  After his remarkable performance on Tuesday night, that notion will more than likely take a turn for the worse.

If you needed any more proof, here's what Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweeted:

@Haudricourt: "That "ka-ching, ka-ching" you're hearing is coming from Scott Boras' office."

@alecdopp: @Haudricourt is there honestly any chance they can resign Fielder at this point?

@Haudricourt: @alecdopp NO.

With each home run, the chances of Fielder returning to Milwaukee next season only become more unlikely.  I hate to dampen the mood, but enjoy it while he's here, Brewer fans.

Alec Dopp is a Milwaukee Brewers featured columnist on Bleacher Report.  Follow him on Twitter: @alecdopp, and read his blog.