New York (AFP) – Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio became Major League Baseball’s youngest opening-game leadoff hitter since 1937 on Friday, sparking his club to a 3-1 victory over the New York Mets.
The 20-year-old Venezuelan outfielder went 1-for-3 at the plate in his MLB debut with a walk and drove in his first run in a season-opener postponed from Thursday due to rain. Only 18 days after his teenage years ended, Chourio started in right field and topped the Brewers batting order.
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The only younger player to serve as his team’s opener leadoff batter in modern MLB history was Bobby Doerr of the Boston Red Sox in 1937, according to the MLB website. Chourio was walked on four pitches by New York’s Jose Quintana to start the contest, then stole second base. He reached third on a Christian Yelich single but was stranded by an inning-ending double play.
In the fifth inning, Chourio singled to right field for his first MLB hit, advancing base runner Andruw Monasterio to third to set up a William Contreras sacrifice fly that scores Monasterio for a 2-1 Brewers lead. In the seventh inning, Chourio grounded into a force out at second base that drove in Jake Bauers to score from third base for the final Milwaukee run.
Only three younger players since 1969 have started at any position in a team’s opening game — Hall of Famers Robin Yount in 1974 and 1975, Ken Griffey Jr. in 1989 and Adrian Beltre in 1999.
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