Jackson Chourio’s two-strike walk-off lifts Brewers to 4-3 NLDS win over Padres

Jackson Chourio delivered another October milestone for Milwaukee on Sunday night, lining a two-out, two-strike walk-off single off Padres closer Mason Miller in the bottom of the ninth to lift the Brewers to a 4-3 win in Game 2 of the National League Division Series.

Chourio’s single at American Family Field scored Christian Yelich and Sal Frelick and sent Milwaukee to a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series. For the Brewers, it was both the decisive swing of the game and the latest sign that the 22-year-old outfielder has become the center of their postseason run.

The stakes are now clear: Milwaukee is one win from advancing to the NL Championship Series, while San Diego will face elimination again when the series shifts west. Chourio had already set the tone in Game 1 on Saturday, when his home run gave him sole possession of the Brewers’ franchise postseason home run record. A night later, he followed it with a walk-off against San Diego’s top late-inning weapon.

Trevor Megill got the win for Milwaukee. Miller, the Padres’ elite closer, took the loss and was charged with a blown save after Chourio beat him with Milwaukee down to its final strike.

According to MLB’s recap, it was only the third walk-off postseason victory in Brewers history. The others came on Nyjer Morgan’s hit in Game 5 of the 2011 NLDS and Mike Moustakas’ game-ending homer in Game 1 of the 2018 NLDS.

That made Chourio’s latest moment feel historic as well as immediate. He is still only 22, but through two games he has produced the defining hit in each of Milwaukee’s victories. Doing it against Miller only sharpened the moment. San Diego turned to its most trusted reliever to close out a one-run game, and Chourio answered with the swing that changed the series’ shape.

The Brewers have not needed many reminders this weekend that they can lean on Chourio in October. His Game 1 homer put him alone atop the franchise’s postseason home run list, and his Game 2 single now sits alongside the most memorable finishes in club playoff history.

As MLB.com noted in its recap, Brewers outfielder Garrett Mitchell said, “What feels different ... is that we’re in it until the 27th out. This year, even down to the last out, we still have a chance. That feels different.”

Milwaukee will try to finish the series in Game 3 on Tuesday in San Diego. First pitch is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET.