MLB 2026: Breaking down Jackson Chourio's young playoff career - ESPN

If the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series and then — yes, we're getting ahead of things, but Brewers fans are allowed to dream — win the World Series, Jackson Chourio's at-bat in Game 2 of the NLDS will go down in Milwaukee lore.

Facing the San Diego Padres and Mason Miller, the majors' most unhittable relief pitcher this season, with the bases loaded, two outs and the Brewers trailing 3-2, Chourio roped a line drive up the middle, scoring two runs and delivering the exhilarating walk-off victory in Milwaukee.

Sure, Miller was not at best: He had walked the bases loaded, was in his second inning of work, was possibly tipping his pitches and, as we'd learn the next day, his wife was about to go into labor. But it was still a great sequence of clutch October hitting by Chourio.

Miller got ahead in the count 1-2. During the regular season, batters hit .066 against him with two strikes. Chourio fouled off a 103.5 mph fastball, a pitch low and away on the outside corner. He took a slider below the zone. Miller's sixth pitch was a 101.3 mph fastball, not quite as fast and not as well-located. Chourio ripped the base hit at 109.5 mph, the second-hardest batted ball of the game. It was the third walk-off playoff win in Brewers history.

That undersells the drama.

There have been 174 walk-off events in MLB postseason history, including 152 walk-off hits. Only 15 came with the team trailing. Only 10 of those came with two outs. Only five of those 10 came with two strikes on the batter.

Chourio delivering in the big moment while being this young is no longer a surprise. The 22-year-old is hitting .300/.333/.600 with five home runs and 17 RBIs in 16 career playoff games. Against