MILWAUKEE -- Jackson Chourio is only 22. Nobody in Brewers history has hit more postseason home runs.
And he’s never hit one harder than he did Saturday.
Chourio electrified American Family Field with a game-tying, two-run homer off San Diego left-hander Robbie Ray in the third inning of the Brewers' 3-2 win over the Padres in their National League Division Series opener. His fifth career postseason home run broke Milwaukee’s franchise record, snapping a tie with Orlando Arcia and Prince Fielder.
It also put him alongside Kyle Schwarber and Juan Soto for the most postseason home runs before turning 23.
Those are accomplished October names. Chourio already belongs beside them, with a chance to move past them before his 23rd birthday on March 11. In Milwaukee’s 3-2 victory, one of the youngest players in the Brewers’ starting lineup again looked perfectly comfortable carrying some of its biggest expectations.
Told afterward that he had become the franchise’s postseason home run leader, Chourio smiled at the accomplishment -- and immediately looked ahead.
“Happy. It makes me very happy, happy to know that,” he said. “And I just hope that I hit a lot more.”
Sitting beside him, William Contreras supplied a reminder.
“Only 22 years.”
The exit velocity? A blistering 113.3 mph, making it the hardest-hit home run of Chourio’s Major League career, surpassing his previous best of 110.3 mph.
Until that swing, Ray had largely kept Milwaukee quiet. Christian Yelich’s first-inning single accounted for the Brewers’ only baserunner through two frames, while San Diego grabbed a 2-0 lead during Jacob Misiorowski’s rocky second.
Garrett Mitchell opened the third with an excuse-me single. After Joey Ortiz grounded out, Chourio supplied a swing that required no apologies.
The blast erased the deficit, jolted Milwaukee’s offense and gave the home crowd another October moment from a player already building quite a collection.
According to Elias, Chourio became the 29th player to homer in each of his first four career multigame postseason series. He has yet to play one without leaving the yard.
That October production follows a regular season in which his 25 home runs and 23 stolen bases made him the first player in Major League history with three 20-20 seasons before turning 23. The combination of power and speed has established him among the game’s brightest young stars. His postseason performances keep introducing him to a bigger audience.
“In big moments, he shines,” Brewers general manager Matt Arnold said Friday.
One day later, Chourio supplied the latest evidence.
“He says he loves them. He says he lives for them,” Jake Bauers said of those moments. “And then you see him do things like that, and it’s hard not to believe it.”
The homer came with a roar. Most of the time, Chourio’s expression is a smile -- one Murphy sees through slumps, injuries and the daily demands of a season. Asked what allows Chourio to thrive when the lights are brightest, the manager pointed to that disposition.
“He’s gifted. He’s a beautiful spirit. He’s gifted mentally,” Murphy said. “He’s smiling every day and nothing gets him down. You never see Jack-Jack down.”
Saturday’s impact extended beyond one swing. Murphy noted that Chourio hit the ball hard in his next two at-bats and cut off a potential double. Then, in the ninth, his defense helped protect what his bat had helped build.
Ty France’s towering fly ball struck an overhead wire and changed direction, leaving Chourio adjusting underneath it near the left-field line. He wasn’t certain whether it had hit anything or what the ground rule was. He simply kept tracking it until it landed in his glove.
“The only thing I kind of realized, it changed direction a little bit,” Chourio said. “But I thought I had a bead on it for the majority of the time.”
“He was -- he is sensational,” Murphy said.
For all the attention on his age, Chourio describes these assignments without much complication. He enjoys the games. He enjoys the stakes. And he intends to keep answering them with everything he has.
“I like playing in these scenarios. I like playing in these kind of games,” Chourio said. “I’m always going to go out there and give everything I have and enjoy the game.”