MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio has gone through some adversity this season as the 21-year-old tries to follow up a standout rookie year.
The game-saving catch he made Sunday might just be the spark he needs.
Chourio raced to his right, reached his gloved hand over the wall in left-center field and robbed Royce Lewis of a potential tying homer in the eighth inning of the Brewers’ 5-2 victory that snapped the Minnesota Twins’ 13-game winning streak.
“That’s the first home-run robbery I’ve ever had,” said Chourio, who indicated through an interpreter that he hadn’t even accomplished that feat during his meteoric run through the minor leagues. “Just to be able to show the ability to do that, I’m happy about that.”
Chourio played center field in the minors but typically was a corner outfielder last year, when he batted .275 with 21 homers and 79 RBIs to finish third in the NL rookie of the year balloting. His big season came after he signed an eight-year, $82 million contract, the largest given to a player without any major league experience.
He has played center more often this year because of injuries to Blake Perkins and Garrett Mitchell. It hasn’t been an entirely smooth transition.
Chourio committed his first error in the majors on May 9 as Tampa Bay’s José Caballero hit a single that got past him, enabling Taylor Walls to score from first and Caballero to end up on third in a game the Brewers lost 4-3.
Three nights later, Chourio misplayed a drive from Cleveland’s Gabriel Arias and allowed the ball to go over his left shoulder, resulting in a three-run double that opened the scoring in a 5-0 defeat.
He came through on Sunday, helping the Brewers get a needed win after they were shut out four times in a five-game stretch.
“Mistakes that happened in the past are mistakes,” Brewers pitcher Freddy Peralta said. “As a player, you should just work and get better, and then you can do something big in the next couple of days. That’s exactly what happened. Today, he saved the game.”
The Twins trailed 4-2 and had a runner on second when Chourio made his remarkable play, prompting Lewis to tip his helmet on the way to the dugout.
“If he doesn’t catch that, I think we win the game for sure,” Lewis said.
Chourio also showed he isn’t letting his struggles at the plate carry over to the field.
He’s hitless in his last 18 at-bats and had grounded out just before the catch. Chourio is batting .242 with a .260 on-base percentage, seven homers, 25 RBIs and just four walks. That’s not the type of start that was expected of Chourio after he closed his rookie season by hitting .455 with two homers in the Brewers’ NL wild card series loss to the New York Mets.
He continues to come through in big moments — this time with his glove.
“For him to come up with that is pretty darn special and shows you what we’ve got,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “He’s 21 years old and going through the ups and downs of being in the big leagues, the pressure, everything that’s been put on him. And for him to do that, it just goes to show you. That’s huge.”
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