Brewers lean on HRs from Chourio, Mitchell and even series with Mets

MILWAUKEE — Maybe Brewers phenom Jackson Chourio is just too young to know the history he overcame and made on Wednesday night.

Twice, Chourio whipped up the American Family Field crowd into a dervish with home runs on the opposing field, one to put the Brewers ahead in the first inning and the other to tie the score early in the eighth inning as Milwaukee got one Overcame a late deficit and defeated the New York Mets 5-3, setting up a decisive Game 3 in the National League Wild Card Series on Thursday.

“Yes, that’s something very special,” said Brewers manager Pat Murphy, summing up his young star’s performance. “Yes, something very special.”

Chourios’ eighth-inning shot against Mets right-hander Phil Maton rocketed off his bat at 105 mph and bounced off the facade above the bullpen in right field, sending a nervous home crowd into a frenzy.

“I think the adrenaline is still getting to me,” Chourio said through an interpreter after the game. “I think I still feel the adrenaline there. It was a very special moment for me and I will look back on it and remember it for the rest of my life.”

An even bigger celebration began moments later when Garrett Mitchell, who had entered the game as a pinch runner only to be ejected for stealing, lined a Maton pitch that hit the top of the right field fence for a two- Run-Go– ahead of Homer.

“I knew I hit it well, and as I ran down the base I felt like, ‘Go, go, go, go,'” Mitchell said. “Right when it reached the top of the fence, that’s when I knew.”

The Brewers have suffered postseason disappointments throughout their history. A franchise that began as the Seattle Pilots in 1969 before moving to Milwaukee the next season, the Brewers are just one of five existing franchises without a World Series title. They haven’t won a pennant since 1982, although they secured their sixth playoff berth in the last seven seasons this year.

Additionally, with the Brewers trailing 3-2 in the late innings of Game 2, another poor historical statistic became relevant: They hadn’t won a playoff game since the 1982 pennant winners, in which they trailed early in the seventh inning lay. What’s more, the last 39 playoff teams that entered the Round of 16 with the lead in a potentially decisive game walked away with a win.

Two swings changed everything, altering the anxious energy of a congregation convinced it was witnessing the beginning of another heartbreak in October.

Mitchell described what he saw around the bases after his home run: “The first thought is to look around and see how excited the fans are. They are a big part of it too, as is the energy they bring.”

“After we got second place and went home, it was like we were celebrating with the team. They’re all excited about it. It’s an exciting time.”

Chourio, the youngest player in the majors this year at 20, continues to emerge as one of baseball’s brightest breakout stars. His two home runs made him the second-youngest player with a multihomer game in the postseason (19-year-old Andruw Jones of the Braves in the 1996 World Series was younger). He became the first Brewer to hit a home run more than once in a playoff game. And he became the first player to hit a leadoff home run and a tying home run in the eighth inning or later of the same playoff game.

Chourio hit .275 with 21 home runs, 79 RBIs and 22 steals in his first season while playing Gold Glove-level defense in center field. His manager is running out of superlatives.

“Chourio, oof,” Murphy said before pausing, perhaps searching for something new to say about a player he has been asked about so often. He could only shake his head and add: “Two counterfield bombs.”

Although Chourio’s blossoming brilliance dominated the postgame conversation, there was plenty of sympathy for Mitchell, who is part of the Brewers’ impressive young core of position players but suffered several serious injuries early in his big league career.

“You would never know he went through that adversity because he just doesn’t show it to you,” Murphy said. “He’s just ready to play. He has a smile on his face. He’s ready to play every day. The attitude gets him through.”

Mitchell became the first Brewer since Hall of Famer Paul Molitor with a home run in the eighth inning or later of a postseason game. Molitor did it in 1981. And that’s one of the reasons this playoff run is so different for the franchise and those who stopped by Wednesday: These players are adding chapters to a story they’re far too young to have experienced .

“The energy that was in that stadium, the whole eighth inning, you could feel it,” Mitchell said. “It was like they were just waiting for something to break out. They are with us and we will continue to need their support and a full house tomorrow. Hopefully they’ll bring it back.”