Jackson Chourio homers in Game 2 of 2025 NLDS

MILWAUKEE — Jackson Chourio discovered the safest way to run the bases on a questionable hamstring:

Not only was Chourio still able to play this National League Division Series after experiencing right hamstring tightness in Game 1. Not only did he bat leadoff and play left field in Mondayâ€s Game 2. He also delivered one of the biggest homers of the season for the Brewers in the fourth inning, a three-run, 419-foot blast to center field that proved the dagger en route to a 7-3 victory and a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series.

“Heâ€s a star,†said Brewers catcher William Contreras, who hit another of the Brewers†three difference-making home runs, a go-ahead solo shot in the third. “For me, I think heâ€s the best player that we have here. But I like the way we go about it; nobody feels like theyâ€re better than the other and everyone is here focused on doing their job.â€

Chourio just happens to do his job very well, including on Monday when he tallied two more hits and made a tricky catch in foul ground against the side wall in left field.

And heâ€s still only 21 years old.

“Heâ€s got an incredible future ahead of him and an incredible talent for what he does out on the field,†Contreras said. “I love watching him go out there from the very first pitch and give it everything that he has.â€

Whether he would be able to do so was in serious question in the run-up to Game 2.

Chourio exited in the second inning of Saturdayâ€s Game 1 win after legging out an RBI infield single, which marked his third hit and third RBI of the afternoon. The Brewers had built a sizable 9-1 lead by that point and erred on the side of caution, lifting him for pinch-runner Isaac Collins.

Chourio said after Game 1 that he felt fine physically, but an MRI was inconclusive, putting his status for the rest of the series in question. He did some light baserunning during the teamâ€s workout on Sunday, but he did not take part in batting practice or shagging fly balls.

“I feel like Iâ€m in a really good position to go out there and compete, so Iâ€m going to go out there and give it the best that I can,†Chourio said. “I felt like I was able to do that today and make all the plays I needed to make and continue to play the game pretty normal.â€

This was the second flare-up of that right hamstring for Chourio, who missed almost all of August the first time. Chourio maintained that he was in “a very good position†compared to his first injury when he spoke on Saturday, but an injury scare this late in the season is a reason for caution.

The Brewers also had to see how their young star responds to the adversity, both physically and mentally.

“It’s the mental hurdle,†manager Pat Murphy said pregame Monday. “I’m sure it’s not 100 percent. But I’m more worried about behavior than feelings. However he feels isn’t as important as how he behaves.â€

Getting Chourio back at his top gear would be a huge development for the Brewers as they try to win their first playoff series since 2018. Heâ€s the youngest player to have multiple seasons of at least 20 home runs and 20 steals, and he has been outstanding in his brief playoff career, going 10-for-18 with three home runs. In Game 1, he became the first player in postseason history to record three hits in the first two innings of a game. His nine career postseason RBIs are already tied for third most in team history.

Game 2 brought more history. His homer came off a 101.4 mph Daniel Palencia fastball. Palencia was ahead in the count 0-2 and Chourio was hitless in his first two trips to the plate, but Palencia’s fastball caught too much plate and Chourio sent it out with an exit velocity of 103.9 mph. Since the advent of pitch tracking in 2008, no playoff home run had been hit on a harder thrown pitch.

“Unbelievable. He’s 21 years old and doing the things he’s doing in the first couple games here, in the environment, just know that’s special,†Murphy said. “We all wish we could have that — have that ‘it†factor the way Jack-Jack does.â€

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