MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jackson Chourio tied the game in the eighth with his second homer of the night and Garrett Mitchell delivered a two-run shot later in the inning to give the Milwaukee Brewers a 5-3 victory over the New York Mets on Wednesday that evened their NL Wild Card Series. The teams will play a decisive Game 3 on Thursday night. The Brewers will attempt to become the first team to rally win a best-of-three Wild Card Series after losing the opener since MLB went to this expanded playoff format in 2022.
Milwaukee trailed 3-2 when Chourio led off the eighth by homering to right-center off losing pitcher Phil Maton, making his fourth appearance on the mound in five days. The 20-year-old rookie also opened the bottom of the first inning with a drive to right against Sean Manaea, becoming the youngest player to hit a leadoff homer in the postseason. After Blake Perkins singled and William Contreras hit into a double play, Willy Adames kept the eighth inning alive with a single.
Mitchell then sent a first-pitch curveball just over the wall in right-center, a 390-foot shot that sent the American Family Field crowd into a frenzy. Devin Williams retired the side in order in the ninth to earn the save. Joe Ross picked up the win after pitching 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.
Chourio is the second-youngest player to homer twice in a postseason game, behind 19-year-old Andruw Jones for Atlanta in the 1996 World Series opener at Yankee Stadium. The Mets had taken the lead in th.