And then came the unforgettable 1982 season, when the Brewers went to the World Series. Their opponent was the Cardinals, who owned Fingers for three days in December 1980 before shipping him to the Brewers.

Only Fingers was forced to sit out after suffering a torn muscle in his right forearm Sept. 2, 1982. When the decisive seventh game was played Oct. 20 at Busch Stadium, the Brewers led 3-1 in the fifth inning. Starter Pete Vuckovich was knocked out after giving up a single to Ozzie Smith and a double to Lonnie Smith in the bottom of the fifth inning. Had Fingers been available, maybe he would have come in, shut the door and a World Series championship flag would have been raised over Milwaukee.

Instead, the Cardinals rallied for a 6-3 victory after Bob McClure, Moose Haas and Mike Caldwell failed to put out the fire.

Would a healthy Fingers have made the difference that season?

“Bud Selig has said that,” said Fingers, referring to the Brewers’ owner at the time. “I have a lot of fans who come up to me and say, ‘We wish you would have been healthy.’

“There’s probably a couple games in that series where I might have made a difference in, but who knows? I might have given up a dinger, too. But I did miss not being able to play in that series.”