MILWAUKEE โ In the postseason, you can’t hide from the moment. The lights are bright, the crowd is loud, and each pitch can determine the outcome of your team’s season.
The grinning 20-year-old was there Wednesday when all three of those things happened for the Brewers.
“He’s…he’s special,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said of outfielder Jackson Choriot after his team’s 5-3 victory over the Mets in Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series. he said.
Chourio pressed when the Brewers entered spring training. Having just signed an $82 million extension — a record for a player with no major league experience — the rookie, who was set to become the youngest player in the major leagues, was clearly trying to show the world he was worthy of it. .
Throughout this season, Chowlio has been quiet and has a calm demeanor. You may even have called him shy. But as he walked around the bases not once but twice in Game 2 on Wednesday, he let out every emotion inside of him, feeling that his two home runs had saved the Brewers’ season.
The boy from Maracaibo, Venezuela is no longer shy. He, and everyone watching now, knows he has arrived.
“I’m ready to put on a show for Major League Baseball and the fans who won’t be able to see me play yet,” Cholio told Yahoo Sports in March.
Let’s fast forward to today. That’s exactly what he’s doing. Throughout the season, Chourio was a spark plug for the Brewers. First becoming the youngest player in baseball and then the youngest player in MLB history to post a 20-20 season, he continued to improve at every turn. How much more can you ask of a child?
However, with the team’s star outfielder, Christian Yelich, undergoing hip surgery at the end of the season, Chourio looked set to take on an even bigger role. And on Wednesday, with his team in dire straits and his season in jeopardy, Cholio took matters into his own hands.
“The pressure will always be there,” he said after the game. “So our job as players is to control in the best way possible. It’s about going out and finding those moments where we have control, going out and doing what we do. Just keep doing what you need to do.โ
The Brewers’ left fielder started a monster night with a go-ahead home run against the Mets’ bullpen, putting Milwaukee ahead in the first inning and setting the tone for his team. With this home run, Chourio became the fifth-youngest player to hit a home run in the MLB postseason.
The playoffs tend to offer big moments for star players to shine. And late in the game, with Milwaukee trailing 3-2 and facing elimination in early October, you could sense something special was on the horizon. The crowd was buzzing with anticipation, and sure enough, Chourio was there when the Brewers needed some magic in the bottom of the eighth inning.
With the count 1-1, Mets relief pitcher Phil Mayton hit a hanging cutter deep into the right field seats to tie the game. Cholio thrilled the crowd of more than 40,000 at American Family Field as the Brewers dugout exploded and the ball hit the second deck facade.
With this home run, Cholio became the second player in MLB history to hit multiple home runs in postseason games before his 21st birthday, joining Braves great Andruw Jones, who did so at age 19. Chourio also became the second player in MLB history to hit two game-tying home runs in one postseason game, joining Babe Ruth in Game 4 of the 1928 World Series.
“I think the adrenaline is still pumping. I think the adrenaline is still pumping,” he said after the game. โIt was a very special moment for me and one I will never forget.โ
“The whole time we were going through this situation, we wanted a matchup between Mayton and Chorio,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said.
“That didn’t work.”
Two batters later, Garrett Mitchell hit a two-run homer that gave Milwaukee the win and helped bring the series to 1-1.
“It starts with [Chourio]” Mitchell said later. โIt starts with that at-bat that he put together.โ
As this season progressed, there were some moments where things worked out for Chowlio. He just started finding his way eight months ago and is becoming the player the organization hoped he would be.
โI think I saw it when I was playing defense.โ [first]โ Murphy said. “He showed some aggressiveness in the outfield. I was like, ‘Wow.'” …There were several takes. [in early June]and suddenly I thought, โThis kid gets it.โ
“…But the kid came in with a big smile on his face. He’s a wonderful human being.”
This season, Chorio showed anyone who was paying attention that he was a star. And now, the youngest player in the postseason, who fittingly got the final out of the game, shines when the light is brightest.
โThese are moments that both myself personally and the city of Milwaukee can share together,โ he said. โSo Iโm really happy that we can celebrate together.โ