Jackson Chourio hit a first-pitch home run in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series on Oct. 14, 2026, exactly one year after he hit a first-pitch homer on the same date in 2025. The Milwaukee Brewers outfielder became only the second player in history to hit leadoff homers on the same pitch number in the same game number a year apart, joining George Springer, according to MLB.com.
Chourio turned on a 97.6 mph four-seamer from Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell to open the scoring, giving the Brewers a 1-0 lead in a game Milwaukee went on to win 6-2, according to the Chicago Tribune. The win put the Brewers up 3-0 in the NLCS.
The Main Development: A Date-Linked Milestone
The home run itself was part of a three-homer night for Milwaukee in Game 3, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. But the detail that set the moment apart from any other first-inning swing was the calendar. Chourio’s homer against Snell landed on the same October date as his first-pitch blast a year earlier, a repetition MLB.com noted has only been matched by Springer in league history.
The pitch marked the 17th first-pitch leadoff home run in postseason history since pitch tracking began in 1988, and just the sixth time a player has opened the top of the first inning with one, per MLB.com.
What It Means: Chourio Climbs The Leaderboard
The homer moved Chourio into a four-way tie for the second-most postseason leadoff home runs with three, alongside Shohei Ohtani, Derek Jeter and Jimmy Rollins. Kyle Schwarber still holds the record with five.
Chourio’s homer total for his young postseason career now sits at six, passing teammate William Contreras for the most in Brewers postseason history, according to MLB.com.
Context: Age And Production Stand Out
Chourio has done this before turning 23, a detail that separates him from most of the names around him on these lists. He has surpassed Schwarber for the most postseason home runs and Andruw Jones for the most postseason RBIs by a player before that age, with 18 RBIs through 19 career playoff games. Jones had 17 RBIs, but it took him 45 postseason games to get there. Ronald Acuña Jr. is the only other player in postseason history to hit a leadoff home run before turning 23, underscoring how rare Chourio’s combination of age and production has become.
What’s Next
Milwaukee leads the NLCS 3-0 after the Game 3 win over Los Angeles. The Brewers can finish off the series sweep in the next game, with the Dodgers facing elimination. Readers can follow continuing postseason coverage, including the Dodgers vs. Brewers NLCS matchup and the Brewers’ path through the NLCS after beating the Padres, for updates on Milwaukee’s push toward the World Series and the 2026 World Series race.
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