Rastall Ramblings: Chourio Solidifies Place as Milwaukee’s Mr. October

After a clutch ninth-inning home run against the Cubs in early September that helped guide the Brewers to a win, star outfielder Jackson Chourio remarked “I sometimes feel like I was born for these moments.”

If there were any lingering doubts in the mind of any Brewers fan about that, there sure aren’t any longer.

With his family visiting from Venezuela and in attendance, Chourio cemented his place as Milwaukee’s very own Mr. October with a walk-off hit for ages this past Sunday — giving the Brewers a 2-0 series lead over the San Diego Padres and putting them on the cusp of a second straight berth in the National League Championship Series.

Chourio’s at-bat against San Diego’s flamethrower reliever Mason Miller can take its place among the very best in franchise history. Down one, two outs, bottom of the ninth, bases loaded and Chourio delivered with some all-world professional hitting.

After falling in a 1-2 hole, Chourio somehow fouled off a 103.5 mph fastball to stay alive, then even more impressively took a slider on the next pitch that dropped just below the zone to even the count at 2-2. On the very next pitch, he shot another fastball back up the middle and into center to score two runs and send American Family Field into total pandemonium after the third playoff walk-off win in Brewers history.

It was the biggest moment yet in the young career of the emerging face of the franchise, though it was hardly his first example of postseason heroics. One night prior in Game 1, Chourio clubbed a game-tying two-run home run (which already makes him the all-time franchise leader in postseason home runs) and made a great heads-up play to secure an out after Ty France’s flyball hit the AmFam Field roof.

From his very first playoff series back in 2024, Chourio looked like he was made for this. In a winner-take-all Game 3 against the New York Mets in the NL Wild Card Series that year, Chourio hit a pair of home runs — including a late, game-tying blast — that would have been the story of the night if not for Pete Alonso’s heroics.

According to MLB.com stats whiz Sarah Langs, Chourio’s 15 playoff RBIs are the second-most in history by a player before turning 23 behind only newly-minted Hall of Famer Andruw Jones, who reached that total in 45 games compared to only 14 for Chourio as of Sunday night. One would figure Chourio has a good chance of leapfrogging Jones on that list this month.

Of course, Chourio wasn’t solely responsible for Sunday’s incredible comeback win. Christian Yelich quietly played a vital role, hitting a double that led to the team’s first run earlier in the game and igniting the ninth-inning rally by drawing a walk. Gary Sánchez deserves a mountain of credit for the two-out walk he worked to load the bases and bring Chourio to the plate. Sal Frelick absolutely busting his butt on Chourio’s single ensured that the Padres had no realistic play at the plate.

There’s plenty of credit to go around, but it obviously was Chourio’s moment above all else. This kid who seems to approach every big moment with the perfect mix of confidence and youthful love of the game just keeps on delivering. And most amazingly, the best might still be yet to come.