Chourio, Misiorowski and everything I learned from Brewers clubhouse after Game 2

MILWAUKEE - In two seasons, Jackson Chourio has established himself as the Milwaukee Brewers’ most important player. At age 21, he’s in the conversation to be one of the best players in baseball. Which is why when he exited Game 1 after reaggravating his right hamstring injury you could hear a pin drop inside American Family Field.

Any Chourio absence, as Brewers manager Pat Murphy said, would be “devastating.”

But Chourio was in the lineup for Game 2, with Murphy admitting that the young star was not 100 percent and if there was “any situation where he doesn’t feel like he can do the job, we’re going to take him out.” My goodness, was he able to do the job, and was he ever able to bolster the narrative that his star shines brightest on baseball’s biggest stage.

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Jackson Chourio's injury concern evaporated with one swing

In the fourth inning, with one swing of the bat Chourio sent a 101.4 mph fastball from Daniel Palencia into the batters’ eye in center field. Chourio is now one home run shy of the Brewers’ playoff franchise record. In his first five playoff games, he’s 10 for 18 with three home runs, nine RBI and a 1.674 OPS. It cemented a 7-3 victory to give the Brewers a 2-0 lead in the NLDS and putting them one victory away from the National League Championship Series.

A reminder: he’s only 21.

“We saw it last year. Everyone was harping about his defense and it’s like, ‘He’s a 20-year-old kid raking in the big leagues,” Brandon Woodruff told FanSided. “Last year, with the series he had against New York, you could see the confidence. It’s bled into this year. He’s a superstar. Watching his maturity and his at-bats down the stretch, you’re seeing the fruition of that.

“He’s got a lifetime ahead of him in the baseball world. But [we’ve never seen anything like it this young]. Ronald Acuna Jr. was like that. I think that’s a pretty good comparison.”

Said Freddy Peralta: “Never seen anything like it. It’s really cool.”

When the Brewers signed Chourio to an eight-year, $82 million contract extension in December 2023, they envisioned stardom. The Acuña Jr. comparisons in league circles were loud. But no one could have ever envisioned something like this, let alone so soon. And his presence further enhances the Brewers’ growing World Series chances.

The Brewers can beat you in so many ways

But the Brewers are not just Chourio. They are so much more.

Something that rival scouts noted entering the postseason was the amount of ways that the Brewers can beat you. They can beat you with pitching. They can beat you with hitting, mostly by dink and dunking their way across the basepaths. They can beat you by being aggressive on the basepaths. But the one gripe was that they couldn’t hit the long ball, and some viewed that as their potential downfall.

On Monday, the Brewers hit two game-changing three-run homers, with Andrew Vaughn’s coming in the first inning while Chourio’s blast in the fourth inning put the game out of reach.

Jacob Misiorowski quieted the noise

Before Game 1, Brewers officials were adamant that Jacob Misiorowski would have a role this series. Matt Arnold said so. Pat Murphy confirmed. They just did not know what it would look like.

Misiorowski, who struggled mightily entering the postseason, quieted all doubters with a three-shutout inning performance. His first four pitches registered at 103.4, 103.7, 104.3 and 104.2 mph. While he struggled with location initially, he harnessed his command and overpowered Cubs hitters in the final two innings. 

“People don’t move like that dude. He’s like an alien. He’s like an Avatar. He’s an anomaly,” Brandon Woodruff told FanSided. “When his first pitch is 104 … come on man. Grab that thing and let’s go. When he learns how to really harness it, which tonight he was filling it up pretty good. But once he learns the command side of it, watch out.”

Said Andrew Vaughn: "When he was warming up actually I was talking to our infielders and I go, 'He's going to throw 104 right here,' and he did. So it was kind of funny."