Milwaukee Brewers rising star Jackson Chourio had a tough start to the 2025 season. The 21 year old, who was making his second career Opening Day start, was batting leadoff against the Yankees and went zero for five with all of his at-bats ending in a strikeout.
This awful performance marked the first time in Brewers history that a batter has struck out five times in an opening day game. It also was the first time in Chourio's young career that he struck out four or more times in a game. His previous single game high was three, which occurred just six times in 148 games during his rookie campaign.
Chourio's opening day performance was unfortunate, especially with his final strikeout coming in the ninth inning as former Brewers closer Devin Williams struggled in his Yankees debut and the tying run stood in scoring position. However, the silver lining is that this terrible start to the year should snap him back into focus and accelerate his adjustments heading into his sophomore season.
Jackson Chourio's terrible opening day performance could be a mixed blessing for the Milwaukee Brewers
Following the Brewers 4-2 loss, manager Pat Murphy said regarding Chourio's struggles at the plate, "He’ll learn from this and he’ll remember this as something that he had to go through." Murphy's words strike true as any great player is bound to have a game they wish they could forget. Chourio's just happened to come on one of baseballs biggest days.
Yankees have struck out Jackson Chourio all five times they've faced him today pic.twitter.com/cO1fnSJarT
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) March 27, 2025
The good news is that Chourio is a baseball rat and he won't forget this experience. He proved last year that he is willing to put in the work needed to be a big league ballplayer, evidenced by extra training sessions with Willy Adames and William Contreras. This led to him being incredible from June 1 through the end of the season, slashing .303/.358/.525 with 16 home runs, 63 RBI, and 15 stolen bases.
Despite the tough outing, there's every reason to believe Chourio will bounce back quickly. His talent and work ethic have been evident since his rapid rise through the Brewers' system, and one rough game won’t define this season. With his natural ability, strong plate discipline, and the support of his teammates and coaches, Chourio will use this experience as fuel to perform to his standards.