If MLB handed out a Division Series MVP, Jackson Chourio would have had a strong case to take it home for the Brewers.
Milwaukee’s 3-1 NLDS win over the San Diego Padres was a tight, low-scoring grind from start to finish. Every game was decided by two runs or fewer, and the Brewers only outscored San Diego 13-9 across the four contests.
The biggest swing of the series may have come in Game 4, when Garrett Mitchell climbed the wall in the eighth inning and took a potential game-tying homer away from Manny Machado. Milwaukee finished the job four outs later.
The Brewers’ pitching staff carried a huge part of the load, especially the bullpen. Milwaukee’s relievers gave up just one earned run in 19 innings, which set the tone for a series that rarely offered much margin for error. But when it came to producing offense, Chourio was the one who kept finding the biggest moments.
He finished with six RBI, the most on the team, and in the process passed Ryan Braun for the franchise record for most total postseason RBI. More important than the total was the timing. Chourio delivered in every game: a game-tying two-run homer in Game 1, a walk-off two-RBI single in Game 2 that brought home the tying and winning runs, a sacrifice fly in Game 3, and a go-ahead RBI single in the fifth inning of the finale.
The stat line was efficient, too. Chourio had only three hits in the series, but he struck out just once and consistently squared balls up.
He also caught some bad luck in Game 3, when Padres centerfielder Jackson Merrill took away extra bases from several Brewers, including Chourio. Even so, the combination of clutch production and steady contact made him Milwaukee’s most valuable bat in the series.
Chourio wasn’t doing it alone. William Contreras led the Brewers with six hits and added a pair of home runs, including a go-ahead shot in the seventh inning of Game 1 and Milwaukee’s first run in Game 3 in San Diego.
Christian Yelich chipped in five hits and two ninth-inning stolen bases, including one in Game 2 before Chourio’s walk-off against Mason Miller. Yelich also drew two walks and finished tied with Jake Bauers for the team lead in on-base percentage at .471.
On the mound, Aaron Ashby logged a team-high 5.2 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out five. Trevor Megill nailed down both save chances and allowed only one baserunner in 3.1 innings. Abner Uribe appeared in all four games and did not allow an earned run.
Taken together, it was a group effort that pushed Milwaukee through. But Chourio’s fingerprints were all over the series, and his Game 2 walk-off changed everything.
Without it, the Brewers could have been headed for a tense Game 5. Instead, they’re moving on to an NLCS rematch with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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