The youngest player in the majors kept the Milwaukee Brewers alive.
Jackson Chourio’s second home run of the game was a tying blast in the eighth inning, and the Brewers went on to beat the New York Mets 5-3 on Wednesday night, tying this Wild Card Series and setting up a winner-take-all Game 3 on Thursday.
Chourio, who turned 20 in March, had also homered to tie the game in the bottom of the first inning, but the Mets had led since the second and were six outs away from sweeping the series when Chourio went deep again to lead off the eighth inning. Two singles and a double play later, Garrett Mitchell smacked a three-run homer off the top of the wall in center field to put the Brewers in front.
GARRETT MITCHELL
GO-AHEAD HOMER pic.twitter.com/HP8y8gCjjw— MLB (@MLB) October 3, 2024
Devin Williams got the save with a scoreless ninth, capping a terrific night from the Brewers bullpen which delivered 5 1/3 scoreless innings with only two hits allowed.
The Mets had taken control early, scoring three runs in the first two innings by stringing together a bunch of singles and taking advantage of Brewers starter Frankie Montas dropping the ball while attempting to cover first base (the Brewers made a similar mistake in Game 1). For much of the night, it seemed those early runs would hold up.
Then Chourio came back to the plate and gave the Brewers fresh life. -Chad Jennings
Brewers showed thump at the perfect time
Down to their last six outs, the Brewers erupted in the eighth with two homers: one cathartic, by Jackson Chourio to tie the game, and the other euphoric, by Garrett Mitchell to take the lead. Homers aren’t the Brewers’ speciality – with 179 this season, they hit three fewer than the league average – but they showed off their power just in time. Chourio, who also hit a leadoff homer, is a clear power threat, but Mitchell entered the game as a pinch-runner who was promptly caught stealing as he tried to utilize his best tool. He’s got some thump, though, with a .463 career slugging percentage, and the homer was his 14th in fewer than 400 career plate appearances. – Tyler Kepner
Phil Maton stumbling is a concern
The Mets had things lined up well. After Sean Manaea pitched five innings, they went to Reed Garrett for the sixth and Ryne Stanek for the seventh. Both pitched clean innings. The Mets held a 3-2 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth. The plan was to go to Phil Maton, who emerged as a reliable setup option after the trade deadline, and then closer Edwin Diaz. They never got to Diaz. Maton, pitching for the fourth time in five days, allowed three runs, including two home runs — Jackson Chourio led off the eighth with a home run to tie it and then Garrett Mitchell added a two-run home run to give the Brewers the lead. — Will Sammon
Sean Manaea can handle the playoffs
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza and other club officials said they didn’t bother to talk with Sean Manaea about the pitcher’s prior postseason failures (15.26 ERA, three appearances). They didn’t see a need. They figured he made so many changes and became a different pitcher in a different environment, surrounded by different factors. They were right.
And if the Mets advance, it’s reassuring to know that your best pitcher from the regular season can also handle October.
Manaea gave the Mets a solid start. In five innings, Manaea allowed two runs and six hits. He didn’t issue any walks. He struck out four. After allowing a leadoff home run to Jackson Chourio, Manaea navigated the Brewers’ lineup by challenging with his two-seam fastball, a pitch he threw 67 percent of the time. After the Brewers ruined his string of quality starts last week, Manaea rebounded by avoiding big innings and shutting down the Brewers’ running game. He left with a 3-2 lead. — Sammon
Devin Williams made the most of first postseason save opportunity
Devin Williams has been a Brewer for five seasons, and because of injuries in past years and a lack of opportunities last fall, this was his first postseason save opportunity. He converted it flawlessly, with a 1-2-3 ninth inning to force a decisive Game 3 on Thursday. It was only the second Brewers’ victory in their last 12 playoff games, but with a victory tomorrow, they can move on to face the Phillies in a division series.
(Top photo of Jackson Chourio: Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
