Brewers Take 3-0 Lead as Rookie Chourio Outperforms Regular Season Stats

Milwaukee Brewers fans are watching their 22-year-old rookie turn the tables on the usual playoff slump. Jackson Chourio entered Game 3 of the World Series with a .799 on-base plus slugging average (OPS) across the 2024 through 2026 regular seasons. In the postseason, that number sits at .882.

Chourio collected four hits in a 10-1 rout of the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night. His performance gave the Brewers a 3-0 series lead and put the franchise within reach of its first championship in 57 years. The four-hit game made him the first 22-year-old to reach that milestone in a World Series contest in 80 years.

The Brewers' offense was relentless throughout the series. They overwhelmed pitcher Nick Martinez in the first inning of Game 1. In Game 2, they erased a four-run deficit. In Game 3, they recorded eight runs that came with two outs in the fifth inning. Chourio started that rally with a base hit up the middle and finished it with a double into the right-center-field gap.

Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold, who signed Chourio out of Venezuela as a 16-year-old in 2021, said the player is transforming into a superstar in front of the organization. Christian Yelich, the team captain, noted that Chourio has a slow heartbeat and thrives in the moment. Daniel Vogelbach, the hitting coach, described Chourio as a kid who could still be playing college baseball.

Néstor Corredor, the Brewers field coordinator, observed that Chourio became too anxious during a rematch against the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier in the fall. Corredor said Chourio has since adjusted by working counts and shortening his swing. The coach added that Chourio now understands he is the leader of the lineup but does not have to be the sole hero, relying on the support of the rest of the team.

Chourio has already established a rare career distinction. He is the first player with three consecutive seasons featuring 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases before the age of 23. His postseason record includes a multihit debut in 2024 and a .389/.421/.667 slash line in the 2025 National League Division Series. In 2026, his play has included a walk-off single against closer Mason Miller and a defensive play where he caught a fly ball that hit a roof cable.

Chourio, who is not fluent in English, said he reads parts of Kobe Bryant's autobiography to adopt the mindset of the late Lakers legend. His father was a Lakers fan during the team's dominant run in the early 2000s. Chourio's middle name is Bryan in honor of Bryant, while his younger brother Jaison has the middle name Oneel in honor of Shaquille O'Neal. Chourio said he knows how hard he has worked to reach this point and finds the current results gratifying.