Jackson Chourio sets tone for Brewers
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Juan Beltran, Contributor
- October 15, 2026
Brewers move a win away from World Series berth
LOS ANGELES – Jackson Chourio isn’t quite ready to get ahead of himself, but the 22-year-old outfielder is a major reason the Milwaukee Brewers are one win away from reaching the World Series for the first time in 44 years.
It’s been so long since the Brewers were in the World Series, they represented the American League in their last Fall Classic in 1982 against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Brewers moved to the National League in 1998, six years before Chourio was even born in Maracaibo, Venezuela.
After beating the two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium, the Brewers hope to close out the National League Championship Series in Game 4.
‘One win away’
“The mentality doesn’t change going into tomorrow,” Chourio said. “One win away from the World Series, it doesn’t change anything for us. We know we have to go in tomorrow and compete and do everything we have been doing as a team and keep the focus in the moment.”
Chourio set the tone in Game 3 of the NLCS with a leadoff home run. Cars were still looking for parking at Dodger Stadium when Chourio deposited Blake Snell’s 97-mph fastball over the right-field wall.
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“It’s so big, man,” Jake Bauers said of Chourio’s leadoff home run. “It’s so big. There’s so much tension in the dugout right before the game starts, especially these ones. There’s a lot of like nervous energy, tension, maybe even a touch of doubt.
“And then the first pitch of the game — I was still putting my batting gloves on to get ready. I didn’t even see him take the swing. I just saw the ball flying, and I knew he got it. From there I think it kind of set the tone for the day and let everyone know that we’re here to win this game.
The Dodgers eventually took a 2-1 lead on Will Smith’s two-run double in the sixth inning. If Chourio’s blast set the tone, Bauers delivered the decisive blow. Snell, who struck out nine and walked two while giving up four runs over six innings, went on cruise control after giving up the leadoff home run.
Bauers wins 11-pitch at-bat
The two-time Cy Young Award winner seemed in full control until the Brewers jumped on him in the seventh. He was bounced out of the game before recording an out in the seventh. Andrew Vaughn led off the seventh inning with a walk. Then Snell and Bauers got into a duel worthy of October baseball.
Once the count went to 2-2, Bauers fought to stay alive. He fouled off consecutive pitches before taking a 97-mph fastball to take the count to 3-2. Bauers then fouled off a changeup, a fastball and a slider.
Then on the 11th pitch of the bat, Bauers pounced. He crushed a 97-mph fastball, sending it over the wall in right-center field to give the Brewers a 3-2 lead. Garrett Mitchell followed with another home run, marking the end for Snell.
“Yeah, definitely it feels better that we have things in our favor this go-around,” Jackson Chourio said. “And we have the advantage. Like I said before, we have yet to complete anything. And the job’s not finished for us. So we have to come with the same mentality, which is to win.”
Juan Beltran
Contributor
Juan Beltran, who immigrated to the United States from El Salvador at 5 years old, is an experienced broadcast journalist
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