Brewers' Jackson Chourio Had Crazy Reason For Batting Left-Handed Vs. Cardinals

Milwaukee Brewers star outfielder Jackson Chourio had his first left-handed MLB at-bat and nearly hit a home run

Jul 5, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Milwaukee Brewers star outfielder Jackson Chourio did something he'd never done in his MLB career on Tuesday night vs. the St. Louis Cardinals.

With the Brewers ahead 10-2 in the top of the ninth of Game 2 of Tuesday's doubleheader, the 22-year-old stepped into the batter's box against Cardinals utilityman Bryan Torres.

Instead of taking his customary spot in the right-handed batter's box though, Chourio came to the dish as a left-handed hitter.

Not only that, but the Venezuelan connected on a first-pitch 34.9 mph eephus offering from Torres and drilled the ball to deep centerfield, just shy of the warning track, before St. Louis outfielder Nathan Church made the catch.

According to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy, Chourio's fly out went an estimated 360 feet and the slugger only batted left-handed because he was dared to.

"They asked me before if I wanted to try hitting left-handed, and I told them, 'yeah,'" Chourio said via translator Daniel de Monsesert, per McCalvy. "I had fun doing it. One of the most important parts of this game is to just have fun. Thanks to God, it was pretty good contact there."

Brewers Manager Pat Murphy Had No Problem With Chourio's Decision

Jul 5, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Brewers manager Pat Murphy discussed Chourio's odd choice to hit from the opposite side and said he was impressed.

"He looked good," Murphy said, according to McCalvy. "It was the first time he’s swung the bat left-handed in years, he said, but he looked really good. He’s an athlete. He’s a baseball player."

Chourio, who missed the first 33 games of the season due to injury, is having another monster campaign.

The third-year pro enters Wednesday with 13 home runs, 36 RBIs and six stolen bases while posting a career-high .286/.342/.510 slash line across 263 plate appearances covering 57 contests. Chourio is tied for second on the team with 1.8 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) despite the missed time).

Chourio also earned National League co-Player of the Week honors in mid-June with teammate Jacob Misiorowski.

The latter earned his 10th win of the season during Game 1 of Milwaukee's doubleheader sweep of the Cardinals on Wednesday.

Misiorowski deservedly earned his second straight All-Star honor recently and leads MLB in ERA (1.62), WHIP (0.75) and strikeouts (167), among other categories.

The Brewers will wrap up their five-game set against the Cardinals with contests on Wednesday evening and Thursday night before continuing their road trip vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday.