Chourio sets the tone of opener with first-pitch homer off Boston's ace Crochet

MILWAUKEE -- Jackson Chourio jumped the first pitch. Then the Brewers jumped on their pitchers’ backs and rode to a victory.

Chourio’s first-pitch homer off Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet brought a sellout crowd to its feet on Memorial Day and sent the Brewers on their way to a 3-2 win after Chad Patrick, DL Hall, Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill combined to keep Boston hitters in check at American Family Field -- but just barely.

“During the Anthem, I was talking to one of the guys from the Army Corps and I said to him, ‘We’d better give the win to the fans today,’” Uribe said. “That’s what we did. I feel great about that.”

Four moments stood out.

1. Chourio’s jolt

Reserves like Andruw Monasterio (RBI double in the fifth inning) and catcher Eric Haase (RBI infield single in the eighth) also chipped in, but the day began with Chourio getting a four-seam fastball from Crochet right down Wisconsin Ave., as the late Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker used to say. Chourio didn’t miss it, sending the Brewers’ first leadoff home run of 2025 sailing over the fence in left-center field.

“The truth is, I wasn’t thinking a whole lot going up there,” Chourio said. “I went up there looking for a good pitch to hit and get on base.”

2. Perfect spot for Hall

The Brewers like to limit starter Chad Patrick to two passes through the opponents’ lineup, and told him as he took the mound for the fifth that if he retired the eight- and nine-hole hitters to start that inning, he’d get a chance to face Jarren Duran a third time. He did, but Duran walked, creating a perfect spot for Hall’s 2025 debut.

The left-hander’s first hitter was Rafael Devers, Boston’s co-leader in home runs and leader in RBIs. Hall retired Devers on a groundout, then carried the lead all the way to the eighth.

“I got to face him quite a few times with Baltimore,” said Hall, the former Oriole. “It’s just a matter of executing against somebody like that who can really take advantage of your mistakes. It was fun to get that as my first out.”

Getting Hall and fellow lefty Aaron Ashby back into the bullpen mix, Megill said, is “huge” for the Brewers.

“That’s just big time when we come to the field with the piggyback in order and it works out pretty much just as we were thinking it would,” Megill said.

3. Uribe fired up

Boston didn’t score until the eighth when Hall walked Devers and yielded to Uribe, who was pitching for the sixth time in nine days and had already thrown 100 pitches in the first eight days of that stretch.

It looked like Uribe began his outing with a strikeout of Red Sox catcher Carlos Narváez, but plate umpire James Jean called a two-strike, 100 mph fastball at the bottom of the zone a ball. Narváez later singled, and that led to a run-scoring groundout as Uribe stared at the umpire.

Uribe kept his composure long enough to induce an inning-ending double play from Wilyer Abreu before letting Jean know what he thought of the call as Haase and Murphy ushered Uribe toward the dugout.

“I know I’ve been throwing [a lot], but I like it because I prepare my body to compete every day,” Uribe said. “It means a lot because last year I didn’t play. Everybody knows the reason. I’ve been doing great and I’m giving my team a chance to win. I feel great about that.”

4. Megill holds on

Also pitching for the sixth time in nine days was Megill, who pushed over 30 pitches during a taxing ninth inning, when the Red Sox scored a run, had the bases loaded and Connor Wong in a 2-0 count before Megill conjured three straight strikes to end the game, getting Wong on a fly out to right field.

The critical decision came after Duran won a seven-pitch battle with a single that left runners at the corners for Devers. The Brewers opted to walk him intentionally, even though that meant moving the go-ahead runner into scoring position.

“I put the trust in what they’re seeing back there in the dugout and just go and attack the next guy,” Megill said. “It seemed to work out.”

"They made a decision, and it was a good one for them,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “‘Wonger’ took two good pitches, took a good hack, and then popped it up to right field."

Like Uribe, Megill has thrown more than 100 pitches over the last nine days. That came as a surprise.

“I threw 30 pitches today?” asked Megill, who was informed it was actually 34. “Oh my goodness. I’m going to be a little sore tomorrow, that’s for sure. The workload has been a lot, but it’s just what we’ve needed to do to keep the wins going.”