Florida Panthers GM Bill Zito has unusual tie to Milwaukee Brewers' last World Series run

In case you missed it, the Milwaukee Brewers are heading to the World Series.

The Brew Crew swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS, erasing an early four-run deficit to capture their first pennant in 44 years.

Milwaukee is now just four wins away from their first World Series title in franchise history, but their championship pedigree might run a little deeper than it might seem on the surface.

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You see, the last time the Brewers made it to the Fall Classic, Florida Panthers general manager Bill Zito was the team’s bat boy.

Zito famously manufactured the blueprint that led to the Panthers winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2024 and 2025, but on this day 44 years ago, he was just a high schooler happy to play a small part in another team’s run to a title.

According to the New York Post, Zito revealed in an interview with NHL writer Matt Larkin just how much of an influence then-Brewers manager Harry Dalton had on his career in the league.

“He took me under his wing,” Zito said. “It was the 1982 Brewers, who went to Game 7 of the World Series. He was so kind to me and afforded me the opportunity. I could go up to his office whenever I wanted, I could learn scouting. He took the time to explain everything to me and always encouraged me to get into the management side.”

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It seems like everything this guy touches in his life turns to gold, so if the Brewers were smart, they’d bring Zito back as an honorary bat boy or at the very least have him throw out a ceremonial first pitch for one of their home games this series.

If that happens and Milwaukee ends up winning The Commissioner’s Trophy as a result, you can go ahead and add that to Zito’s extensive resume as a winner.

Now if the NHL would just award him that much-deserved GM of the Year award that has eluded him these past few seasons, he’d really be cooking.