By Tim Binnall
With the Los Angeles Dodgers returning to Milwaukee for this year's MLB playoffs, a notoriously haunted hotel in the city is back in the spotlight thanks to the team's rather odd history with the location. The 133-year-old Pfister Hotel has developed something of a spooky reputation in baseball circles due to unsettling paranormal activity reported by various visiting players. In recent years, the eerie aura surrounding the building has been cited by members of one team in particular, the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have opted not to stay at the site due to its allegedly haunted nature.
In 2023, outfielder Mookie Betts made headlines when it was revealed that he eschewed the hotel in favor of an Airbnb out of concern that he might be distracted by inexplicable events unfolding in his room. Last October, when Los Angeles visited Milwaukee for the National League Championship Series, the unnerving building once again made news as Dodger Teoscar Hernández told reporters that he had also chosen not to stay at the location because his wife refused to spend the night there. Unsurprisingly, with a playoff rematch between the two teams getting underway in the city this past weekend, LA's peculiar past with the hotel became the subject of conversation in the press.
Remarkably, when asked about staying at the Pfister for the series, Dodgers star Max Muncy reportedly offered a decidedly different take on the spirits said to reside in the building. "No, I let it go. If there's a ghost in there, come on in," the third baseman said, "if the TV turns on, I know he's friendly. Hopefully he’s just not there to disturb me. I welcome them. If there's a ghost, let's have a good time with it, come on in. It is what it is." That nonchalance about potential paranormal activity may have helped Muncy get a good night's sleep at the hotel; the same may not be said about the rest of the team, as they dropped the first game of the series on Sunday night.