Reds' rookie Sal Stewart shares a key trait with Brewers' star Jackson Chourio

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio has been the star of the MLB Postseason thus far. On Sunday afternoon, Chourio came up clutch with a walk-off, two-run single off San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller in the ninth inning to win the game and put the Brewers up 2-0 in the best-of-five NDLS.

Chourio met the moment, and in the aftermath of the Brewers' victory, the focus shifted to his performance on the biggest stage. His teammate Christian Yelich summed it up by saying, "He loves those moments. And he knows how talented he is and what he can do on a baseball field. He can do anything.”

With his two-run walk-off hit in the ninth, Chourio trails only former Atlanta Braves outfielder Andrew Jones for the most RBI in the postseason before turning 23 years of age. He could match or surpass Jones before the NLDS wraps up later this week.

Chourio is a budding star, and had a breakout season in 2026. The Venezuelan native hit .291/.351/.487 with 25 home runs, 75 RBI, and a 129 OPS+. Interestingly enough, Cincinnati Reds rookie Sal Stewart produced similar, albeit slightly less impressive, numbers during his first full season in the big leagues. The infielder hit .263/.330/.457 with 32 homers, 111 RBI, and a 117 OPS+.

Reds rookie Sal Stewart shares the clutch gene with Brewers' star Jackson Chourio

But one thing that both Chourio and Stewart have in common is a flare for the dramatic. Some fans might call it the 'clutch gene'. Though difficult to evaluate, some of the stats from the regular season are eerily similar. In fact, Stewart actually has the edge with two outs and runners in scoring position.

Chourio, of course, is doing this on the biggest stage of them all — the MLB Postseason. But it's important to remember that Stewart was the Reds' biggest run producer during their Wild Card Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2025.

Stewart was foolishly left out of the Reds' starting lineup for Game 1, but his bases-loaded walk earned him an RBI during Cincinnati's 10-5 loss. Terry Francona made up for the mistake by inserting Stewart into the starting lineup for Game 2, and the slugger went 2-for-4 with three RBI and a stolen base.

Reds fans watched Stewart come up time after time with clutch base knocks throughout the 2026 season, and it's a big reason why he's the favorite to win NL Rookie of the Year. While many pundits like to claim that RBI is a meaningless stat in today's analytics-driven game, it sure seems like a convenient one to use when they want to hammer home a point, doesn't it? But we digress.

The bottom line is that Stewart is built for the same moment in which Chourio shined on Sunday afternoon in Milwaukee. Unfortunately, Cincinnati's shortcomings during the regular season have made those playoff moments few and far between. One truly wonders when (or if) Stewart will ever get his chance to take center stage during the MLB Postseason.

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