Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio got the start in left despite a hamstring injury and made his presence felt with a 419-foot, three-run homer in the fourth inning of Game 2 of the NL Division Series against the Chicago Cubs.
The homer gave Milwaukee a 7-3 lead.
Chourio, 21, had an MRI after leaving Game 1 on Saturday with a right hamstring injury after legging out an infield hit in the bottom of the second inning. It’s the same hamstring he injured in July — also while playing against the Cubs.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy said before Monday’s game that Chourio isn’t 100% and would be removed if he’s hampered at all by the injury.
“I’m sure it’s not 100%, but I’m more worried about behavior than feelings,” Murphy said before the game. “However he feels isn’t as important as how he behaves. If he gets in a situation where he doesn’t feel like he can do the job, we’re going to take him out.”
Chourio was 3-for-3 with three RBIs in Game 1 before he suffered the injury. He hit .270 with 21 home runs and 78 RBIs during the regular season.
The Brewers lead the best-of-5 series 1-0.
ESPN’s Jesse Rogers and The Associated Press contributed to this report.