Chourio makes history, great catch -- and costly misplay -- in postseason debut

MILWAUKEE -- Just like he did all season long, the Brewers’ 20-year-old rookie Jackson Chourio did something nobody has done before in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series.

At 20 years, 204 days of age, the outfielder from Maracaibo, Venezuela, became the youngest player in Major League history to tally multiple hits in his postseason debut, and he made them count. Chourio delivered a single and a run scored in Milwaukee’s two-run first inning and a game-tying RBI single in a go-ahead two-run fourth.

But in the fifth, Chourio found himself in the spotlight as a defender in left field. First for a play he made, then for one he didn’t, all on a night he logged yet another first -- the first postseason game under his belt, albeit an 8-4 loss to the Mets.

• Brewers on the brink of elimination after defense, 'pen falter in G1 loss

“Jackson was fantastic, man,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “He’s 20 years old, and to play the defense he played in that setting, some of his good at-bats, he’s swinging and he’s a special player.

• NL Wild Card Series Game 2 FAQ

“The thing I get happy about is when a player knows he belongs, you know what I mean? ‘Hey, I belong. And in the big moments, I like being in this situation, and I expect a lot out of myself.’ That translates to a really, really good, All-Star-type player.”

The play Chourio made was sensational, a leaping grab while colliding with the left-field wall that took away a base hit and maybe more from Starling Marte just as the Brewers turned the game over to their bullpen with a 4-3 lead.

“I was excited when I came down with that ball,” Chourio said.

The play Chourio didn’t make proved costly. Former Brewer Tyrone Taylor hit a fly ball to left field that Statcast estimated had an 85% catch probability. But it sent Chourio back on his heels into an awkward route, and the baseball ticked off his glove for what was scored a double.

It’s a play Chourio made a lot all season long, but he and his Brewers teammates argued that it was tougher than it looked. Left field at American Family Field is notoriously tricky because of the windows that stretch from the seats to the stadium’s convertible roof, and in this instance, they contributed to Chourio’s miss.

“That one got up there in the windows, and I didn’t get to see it too well off the jump,” Chourio said.

Said Murphy: “It’s a tough left field out there at that time of day. So the second ball, although it should have been caught, give the kid credit.”

It proved a big miss, because while Chourio’s clunker wasn’t the only Brewers misplay of the inning, it did help extend it long enough for the Mets to score five runs, all with two outs, for an 8-4 lead while prompting two more pitching changes.

Chourio will get a chance for more moments in Game 2. He typically hits leadoff against left-handers, and the Mets are starting Sean Manaea.

This time, he’ll be a postseason veteran.

“It didn’t seem like it was his first, but I can’t say I’m surprised at this point,” Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins said. “We’ll need that type of performance [in Game 2], especially with him at the top of the lineup. We’ll see if we can create a little more havoc on the bases.”

Said Chourio: “I was just very grateful to be in that position in this moment. I’m happy we were able to get those two hits early, but unfortunately, we lost the game.”