Mitchell hits the game-winning HR in the 8th, Chourio goes deep twice and the Brewers overtake the Mets 5-3

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jackson Chourio tied the game in the eighth his second home run of the night and Garrett Mitchell delivered a two-run pitch later in the inning that gave the Milwaukee Brewers a 5-3 victory over the New York Mets on Wednesday that leveled their NL Wild Card Series.

The teams will play the decisive Game 3 on Thursday evening. The Brewers will try to become the first team to win a best-of-three wild card series after losing the opener since MLB moved to this expanded playoff format in 2022.

“We talk about it every night: 'Win tonight.' “Do whatever it takes,” Mitchell said. “And that’s exactly what we did.”

Milwaukee was trailing 3-2 when Chourio took the lead in the eighth with a home run 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 off Sean Manaea, becoming the youngest player to hit a leadoff home run in the postseason.

After Blake Perkins hit a single and William Contreras hit a double play, Willy Adames kept the eighth inning going with a single. Mitchell then hit a drive just over the wall in right-center, a 390-foot shot that sent the crowd at American Family Field into a frenzy.

“In this situation, it's like the moment is telling you to go faster, try to do more, reach for the fences, whatever you're thinking,” Mitchell said. “For me it was just an attack in the zone. …Be yourself, be relaxed, pass it on to the next guy. That was my mentality. I’m not trying to hit a home run there.”

He made it anyway, hitting a first-pitch curveball.

“Too much plate,” Maton said. “Happy with the curveball on the first pitch to get ahead. It was just one of those things where he had a good swing. Nine times out of ten I feel like I'm going to get a fly ball to center field for an out. He made a good swing.”

New York manager Carlos Mendoza said after the game that closer Edwin Díaz was available but that the Mets did not want to use him for more than one inning.

Devin Williams withdrew to earn the save in the ninth. Joe Ross got the win after pitching 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.

Milwaukee trailed 26-0 entering the eighth inning in the postseason. according to MLB.com.

Chourio is the second-youngest player to hit a home run twice in a postseason game, behind 19-year-old Andruw Jones for Atlanta in the 1996 World Series opener at Yankee Stadium. The rookie showed no signs of pressure after the season while going 4-for-8 in two games.

Now he gives the Brewers one win from their first postseason series win since 2018.

“It’s just been an incredible year,” Chourio said through a translator. “There isn't much more to say about it. It's been an incredible year for everyone, for all the guys in this clubhouse. I think we’ve seen the fruits that have come from that.”

The Mets took the lead in the second inning after a Brewers pitcher made another critical error around first base.

With the score tied at 1-1, the Mets had one out and no one on in the second when Starling Marte hit a routine grounder to first baseman Rhys Hoskins, whose throw bounced off Frankie Montas' glove as the right-hander covered the ball.

After failing to catch Hoskins' throw, Montas failed to strike out the Mets' next two batters. Tyrone Taylor and Francisco Alvarez hit consecutive singles, with the latter hitting to bring home Marte. Francisco Lindor followed with a sacrifice fly that scored Taylor.

“I feel like that’s where it all started,” Montas said of his mistake. “If I had figured that out, there would be no one on the base. That definitely can't happen. In the postseason you have to get your outs as best you can.”

It was the second night in a row that the Mets recovered after a Brewers pitcher botched a play at first base. New York trailed 4-3 with two outs in the fifth inning 8:4 win On Tuesday, Joel Payamps was late to first base on a grounder against Hoskins, allowing Jose Iglesias to slide headfirst to safety and spark a five-run outburst.

Milwaukee got a run back in the fifth when Brice Turang hit a leadoff double and scored on Perkins' sacrifice fly. Then the Brewers delivered the dramatic rally in the eighth inning that tied the series.

Now the season is at stake for both teams on Thursday.

“Obviously losing is no fun, but we've responded to adversity all year,” Mets first baseman Pete Alonso said. “I’m really looking forward to this challenge tomorrow. I know they are just as excited. That’s what the playoffs are about.”

NEXT

Rookie RHP Tobias Myers (9-6, 3.00 ERA) will start for Milwaukee in Game 3 against LHP Jose Quintana (10-10, 3.75).

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB