The Milwaukee Brewers are one win away from a return trip to the NCLS.
And for the second consecutive game, Jackson Chourio played the role of hero.
In Game 1, Chourio hit a two-run home run to tie the game early, opening the door for a solo shot off the bat of William Contreras for the eventual 3-2 win over the San Diego Padres on Saturday night. But Sunday in Game 2, Chourio and the Brewers walked it off for the win, against one of the best closers in all of baseball.
San Diego took a 3-2 lead to the bottom of the eighth inning, and the Padres called on closer Mason Miller to try to shut the door over a two-inning stint, and even the series before a return trip to the West Coast. Miller worked a perfect eighth inning, with a pair of strikeouts and a fly out, pushing the game to the ninth inning.
But that is when Miller got himself into a bit of trouble. After opening the inning with a groundout, Miller walked Christian Yelich and then walked Sal Frelick. A flyout for the second out of the inning pushed the Brewers to their final out, but that is when Miller walked catcher Gary Sánchez to load the bases.
And bring Chourio to the plate.
The Milwaukee outfielder fell down in the count 1-2, and after a foul he held off on a slider low and outside of the zone to even the count to 2-2. That’s when he jumped on the fifth fastball of the at-bat — all of which topped 100 miles per hour on the radar gun — lacing a 101-mph fastball up the middle for the game-winning hit:
The single up the middle brought both Yelich and Frelick to the plate, and sparked bedlam on the field and in the stands as the Brewers emptied the dugout and the bullpen to celebrate with the hero of the moment.
The series shifts to San Diego for Game 3, with the Brewers needing one more win to clinch a spot in the NLCS. Game 3 is set for Tuesday, October 6 at 9:30 p.m. Eastern.
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