Milwaukee took Game 1 of the NLDS, and they did it the most satisfying way possible: with two Latin players going deep. Jackson Chourio and William Contreras each hit home runs to hand the Brewers the series opener — and neither one came out of nowhere.
A Venezuelan and a Guatemalan Walk Into the Postseason
Game 1 had two moments Brewers fans won’t forget anytime soon. First it was Jackson Chourio 🇻🇪, the 21-year-old Venezuelan outfielder who hit .291 with 25 home runs in 127 regular-season games. Then came William Contreras 🇬🇹, the Guatemalan catcher who has quietly become one of the most complete backstops in the National League since arriving in Milwaukee.
Two swings. Two flags. One win.
Chourio’s Home Run Wasn’t a Surprise — The Numbers Said It Was Coming
There are home runs that shock you, and there are home runs that confirm what you already knew. Chourio’s tonight was the second kind.
He didn’t show up to October cold. All season long, Statcast tracked him at an 88th-percentile exit velocity — only 12 out of every 100 hitters make more consistent hard contact. His xwOBA of .344, which measures true contact quality independent of luck, ranked in the 80th percentile. Translation: the regular season owed him extra-base hits that didn’t always fall. The playoffs just settled the debt.
At 21 years old, Chourio already has 25 home runs, 75 RBI, and 23 stolen bases this season — with an 87th-percentile sprint speed to boot. He’s the kind of player who hurts you every way imaginable. Tonight he chose the most dramatic one.
Chourio’s 2026 Statcast Profile
- 573 plate appearances
- 25 home runs, 75 RBI
- AVG: .291 | OPS: .838
- xwOBA: .344 — 80th percentile
- Average exit velocity: 91.6 mph — 88th percentile
- Barrel rate: 12.3% — 81st percentile
- Hard-hit rate: 47% — 83rd percentile
- Average bat speed: 74.4 mph — 77th percentile
- Sprint speed: 87th percentile
These aren’t opinions. The radars don’t lie — and right now, they’re all pointing at Jackson Chourio.
