MILWAUKEE (AP) — Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio had a simple solution for making sure he didn’t aggravate his hamstring injury Monday night.
Trotting around the bases after a home run doesn’t require much exertion.
Chourio returned to the lineup and hit a three-run homer to help Milwaukee beat the Chicago Cubs 7-3 in Game 2 of their NL Division Series after tightness in his right hamstring caused him to exit the opener.
The 21-year-old phenom has three homers in five career postseason games. He has gone 5 for 7 with six RBIs to help the Brewers take a 2-0 lead in this best-of-five series after going 5 of 11 at the plate last year in a Wild Card Series loss to the New York Mets.
“I really just like playing in these moments,” Chourio said through an interpreter. “I think you could say it helps me play at the maximum level that I’m able to do so. And thanks to God that I’ve had the ability to play in these moments that are important and meaningful, and get some of these big hits whenever they’re needed, but also do some of the little things whenever they’re needed.”
Chourio hurt his right hamstring while running to first base on an infield single in the second inning Saturday. He had missed a month of the regular season after straining the same hamstring this summer.
After undergoing a postgame MRI and doing some light running in Sunday’s workout, Chourio was back in the leadoff spot and playing left field Monday night.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy acknowledged before the game that he was sure Chourio wasn’t feeling 100%, but the outfielder showed no signs of discomfort. The game started with Chicago’s Justin Turner hitting a flyball in his direction. He also chased down a flyball in foul territory in the fourth.
“I feel like I’m in a really good position to go out there and compete, so I’m going to go out there and give it the best that I can,” Chourio said. “I felt like I was able to do that today and go out there and make all the plays I needed to make and continue to play the game pretty normal.”
His production at the plate in his brief postseason career has been anything but normal.
Chourio hit two homers in the Brewers’ Game 2 victory over the Mets in last year’s Wild Card Series. He went 3 for 3 with three RBIs in Milwaukee’s 9-3 Game 1 victory Saturday, becoming the first player ever to have three hits in the first two innings of a playoff game.
In the fourth inning of Monday’s game, Chourio connected on an 0-2 pitch from Daniel Palencia and sent a 419-foot shot over the center-field wall. His three-run homer produced the game’s final three runs.
“Unbelievable,” Murphy said. “He’s 21 years old and doing the things he’s doing in the first couple games here, in the environment, just know that’s special. That’s special. We all wish we could have that — have that it factor the way Jack-Jack does.”
Chourio followed that up with an infield single in the sixth inning that improved his career postseason batting average to .556.
“He’s a star,” teamate William Contreras said through an interpreter. “For me, I think he’s the best player that we have here, but I like the way that we go about it. No one feels like they’re better than the other, and everyone is here focused on doing their job. He’s got an incredible future ahead of him and an incredible talent with what he does out on the field, and I love watching him go out there from the very first pitch and give it everything he has.”
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