The Milwaukee Brewers' season continues after a 5-3 electrifying comeback victory over the New York Mets Wednesday night in Game 2 of their National League wild-card series.

Trailing 3-2 entering the bottom of the eighth inning, the Brewers rallied for three runs behind home runs by Jackson Chourio and Garrett Mitchell to take the lead, sending American Family Field into a frenzy. Devin Williams finished the game with a 1-2-3 ninth inning for the save.

The night belonged to the 20-year-old Chourio. He got the Brewers offense started with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first to tie the game at 1-1 and then came up clutch at the biggest moment with another solo homer to tie the game at 3-3.

Not long after, Mitchell, who entered the contest as a pinch runner, drilled the game-winning two-run blast in his first at-bat. The victory gave the Brewers their first playoff win since 2021.

Most importantly, the win pushed the series to a winner-take-all Game 3 Thursday back at American Family Field.

The Journal Sentinel provided live coverage during the game. Review all the game highlights and scoring plays below:

BREWERS WIN

What an unbelievable moment in Milwaukee baseball history.

A three-run rally in the eighth, including homers by Jackson Chourio and Garrett Mitchell, turned a game-long deficit into a 5-3 Brewers victory. Devin Williams quickly worked through the top of the Mets order for a 1-2-3 ninth, including Jesse Winker for the final out. Winker, the former Brewer, was jawing with Willy Adames after a big two-run triple last night.

It'll be a fun moment that becomes immortal if Milwaukee comes back and wins the series tomorrow to advance ot Philadelphia in the National League Division Series. For now, the series is tied, 1-1.

FINAL: Brewers 5, Mets 3

GARRETT MITCHELL HOMERS AND THE BREWERS LEAD

Wow, what a turn of events. This place has lost its mind. Garrett Mitchell's two-run homer just gave the Brewers a 5-3 lead in this wild-card contest.

Chourio tied the game, and Blake Perkins singled with nobody out, but he was erased by a William Contreras double play. Undaunted, Willy Adames battled for his first hit of the playoffs, a single, and Garrett Mitchell hit a deep fly to center that hit off the top of the wall and over. The Brewers have a 5-3 lead and Devin Williams is checking in to force a Game 3.

It's a three-run eighth inning against Phil Maton. Unbelievable scene. Williams gets his first postseason save opportunity in the ninth.

Mitchell was batting for the first time; he checked in as a pinch runner in the sixth and was thrown out stealing.

AFTER EIGHTH: Brewers 5, Mets 3

JACKSON CHOURIO HOMERS AGAIN AND WE ARE TIED

For the second time tonight, Jackson Chourio has tied the game with a home run.

His shot to right center off Phil Maton leading off the eighth and sent this place up for grabs. The Brewers and Mets are locked up at 3-3 in the eighth inning.

According to MLB.com stats guru Sarah Langs, he's the second youngest player to have a multi-homer game in the playoffs. At 20 years & 205 days, only Andruw Jones (19y, 180d) was younger when he homered twice in Game 1 of the 1996 World Series.

Joe Ross navigates a leadoff walk for quick eighth

For the fourth time tonight, the Mets got a leadoff man on base; Starling Marte drew a walk after Joe Ross had gotten ahead, 0-2, but Tyrone Taylor flew out and Francisco Alvarez grounded into a double play on the first pitch he saw. Ross delivers four big outs, and now the game is in the hands of the offense and closer Devin Williams (at least, until extra innings if we need them).

Nothing doing for the Brewers in the seventh vs. Ryne Stanek

It's a 1-2-3 frame for Milwaukee in the seventh, with the bottom third of the order all putting it in play but nothing too dangerous.

Milwaukee has six outs left to save its season. Joe Ross back to the mound for the eighth.

END SEVENTH: Mets 3, Brewers 2

Jared Koenig and Joe Ross get through the seventh unscathed

Brewers just chewed through the tough part of New York's order for a clean seventh. Jared Koenig registered groundouts from Mark Vientos and Brandon Nimmo, and after a broken-bat single by Pete Alonso, manager Pat Murphy went to right-hander Joe Ross for J.D. Martinez.

Martinez hit it decently well, but Joey Ortiz had enough hops to go get it. Ortiz also made a slick fielding play earlier in the inning to retire Nimmo.

Brewers go to the bottom half needing at least a run.

Garrett Mitchell, representing tying run, thrown out trying to steal

Garrett Mitchell checked in for Gary Sánchez after an infield single and got thrown out stealing, and then Rhys Hoskins struck out to kill another inning.

The Brewers veterans are nowhere to be found. Willy Adames, who grounded out leading off the inning, is now 0 for 6 in this series. Hoskins is also 0 for 6, though he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded yesterday.

Reed Garrett threw that frame for the Mets; Manaea ends up with five innings of work, allowing two runs on six hits.

Jared Koenig checks in. The Brewers have three innings to save their season.

END SIXTH: Mets 3, Brewers 2

Going back to Joel Payamps proves dicey, but he escapes bases-loaded jam in sixth

Joel Payamps made the huge mistake Tuesday that led to a five-run inning, but he was absolute nails down the stretch for Milwaukee, and I thought it was fine that Payamps was back on the mound here in Game 2.

It didn't go smoothly, but it ended well for Milwaukee. Payamps lost a battle with J.D. Martinez and walked him leading off the sixth, and then Starling Marte was right on a few pitches before bounding a single through the right side. That brought up Tyrone Taylor, who hit a dangerous blooper that Sal Frelick caught in right field.

Payamps then escaped by getting Francisco Alvarez to hit a check-swing tapper in front of the mound, walking Francisco Lindor and getting Jose Iglesias swinging.

There are, by the way, 40,350 fans in this stadium for tonight's game. Neither one of these two games were sellouts.

Brewers get a run back in the fifth

The Brewers get a breakthrough in the fifth, with Brice Turang leading off with a double and coming around to score on a groundout and Blake Perkins sacrifice fly to center.

That makes it 3-2. Turang, who had three hits yesterday (two doubles), has two hits today, including another double. Remarkable series for Turang.

END FIFTH: Mets 3, Brewers 2

Megill fires up the crowd with three-strikeout fifth

Megill's three-strikeout fifth inning is going to leave some people wondering if a bullpen game was the way to go. He just blew away Pete Alonso to close out the fifth, in which Brandon Nimmo reached on a hit-by-pitch and advanced to second on a balk. But Jose Iglesias, Mark Vientos and Alonso all punched out.

Fans on their feet in the fourth, but hope for a rally fizzles

Joey Ortiz hit a sharp grounder to shortstop on a full-count pitch, ending Milwaukee's fourth inning. Sal Frelick's two-out single went for naught and the Brewers remain down a pair.

END FOURTH: Mets 3, Brewers 1

Trevor Megill gets the out and we head to the bottom of the fourth

Trevor Megill retires Francisco Lindor on a pop up to left, and the Brewers survive without any further damage. It was a tightrope walk with Montas in there, and he finished with 52 pitches and, technically, only one earned run, but he's the reason the other two are unearned after he dropped the feed at first base.

He also allowed six hits and a walk in 3⅔ innings. It will not be remembered as a successful outing.

Montas finishes strong before getting pulled, with Trevor Megill checking in

The Mets are still batting in the fourth with a runner at second and Francisco Lindor due up, but it'll be Trevor Megill heading into the game to try and end the inning.

Starling Marte is standing at second after a leadoff single and steal of second. He was initially ruled out, but replay overturned the call to put him in scoring position with no outs. Montas rallied, striking out Tyrone Taylor and Francisco Alvarez, but he won't get a chance to face the Mets a third time through the order.

Manager Pat Murphy let him go a little bit deeper than Freddy Peralta last night in terms of batters faced; we'll see if that last runner comes across. Brewers can't afford for this two-run deficit to inflate.

Brewers get a runner in scoring position but can't come through with big hitters

William Contreras struck out and Willy Adames popped out on a lazy fly to center, eliminating a scoring opportunity for the Brewers in the third.

Brice Turang singled leading off the inning, and Turang's speed won Blake Perkins a single when he slid in safely ahead of a glove toss from sliding Francisco Lindor to second base. But Jackson Chourio struck out in between, and the team's three premier hitters all made outs in that frame.

END THIRD: Mets 3, Brewers 1

Montas works a 1-2-3 inning, but it's not necessarily easy

Brandon Nimmo put a ball on the warning track in dead center field, and J.D. Martinez made good contact on a screamer to left field, but both balls were caught and Milwaukee will look to dent the 3-1 deficit in the bottom of the third.

It's a 1-2-3 second for Brewers

Sal Frelick might have beaten out an infield grounder but the Brewers don't review, and it's a nice play by shortstop Francisco Lindor to spin and retire him. The play was sandwiched by two flyouts, and we head to the third inning.

END SECOND: Mets 3, Brewers 1

Big test for 'undaunted' Brewers now down two runs early

The Brewers have seen multi-run leads evaporate in each of the past four playoff games, so now it's their turn to do some digging. Last night after the disastrous five-run fifth, Brewers batters went into hibernation, and the final 17 batters in a row were retired.

Obviously, there's a lot of ballgame left but they can't afford a similar malaise.

Sure enough, the Mets cash in the miscue and score two more runs

That didn't take long to sting.

After Montas dropped the ball, that runner came around to score quickly. The bloop single from ex-Brewers outfielder Tyrone Taylor put runners at the corners, and Francisco Alvarez then singled in the run. Another run scored as a result of the error when Francisco Lindor sent a deep drive to center for a sacrifice fly to score Taylor. It would have been the third out otherwise.

Mets have a 3-1 lead. The defense that got the Brewers here has failed them in the postseason, though in very strange ways.

Frankie Montas with a brutal error giving flashbacks to last night, and Mets are in business

Last night, the Mets staged a two-out rally worth five runs when Joel Payamps was late covering first base. This time, Frankie Montas was there ... and dropped the ball.

Milwaukee is again in trouble because a pitcher can't properly complete a 3-1 putout. Montas just straight dropped the feed from Rhys Hoskins for an error, and after a bloop single, the Mets again have runners at the corners with one out for the second straight inning.

Milwaukee might be cursed, guys.

Sean Manaea gets out of the inning by pumping strikes

Sean Manaea allowed the homer to Chourio but threw 14 of his 18 pitches for strikes in the opening frame, allowing a single to William Contreras but also getting two strikeouts to close it down.

AFTER FIRST: Mets 1, Brewers 1

Jackson Chourio HOME RUN gets Milwaukee back to even

Jackson Chourio is so special. Unbelievable.

The 20-year-old just went opposite field on an 0-2 pitch for a home run to tie the game before the Brewers even surrender an out. The American Family Field crowd waved yellow rally towels in appreciation as he rounded the bases. It's the first home run of the series for either team.

It's the second leadoff home run for the Brewers in their postseason history. Corey Hart turned the feat in Game 6 of the NLCS against St. Louis in 2011. The Brewers were losing that game, too, having yielded four first-inning runs.

Brewers get a break to keep it a 1-0 game after the top of the first when Pete Alonso falls down

Willy Adames made a diving stop on Pete Alonso's ball up the middle, bobbled, but still had time to start a double play because Alonso stumbled out of the box. That saves the Brewers from surrendering another run, and maybe it's the jolt they need after going down right off the bat.

Alonso stumbled on his own bat as he dropped it to the ground. Strange play! Adames struggled getting that relay going after he fell to the ground to stop it, pretty sure Alonso reaches base safely without the fall.

The Mets already have a 1-0 lead

The Brewers have had a habit of surrendering multi-run leads in the playoffs. Today, they'll be playing from behind.

After the leadoff walk to Lindor and a fielder's choice, Mark Vientos reached on an infield single and Brandon Nimmo poked one through the right side to drive in a run, and it's 1-0. And it's runners at the corners with one out. Just not the start Milwaukee needed.

Former Brewers prospect Lucas Erceg just helped Kansas City to the second round

Former position-player prospect Lucas Erceg, who converted to pitcher with the Brewers and was then dealt to Oakland to make his big-league debut, just closed out a 2-1 win for the Royals and sent Kansas City past Baltimore in the wild-card round.

Devastating end of the road for the Orioles, who lost their games by a 2-1 and 1-0 count. Erceg, who has thrown in the triple digits this year, was dealt to Kansas City at the deadline and has been spectacular.

That's now all 10 series in the wild-card round since the new format was adopted in 2022 that have ended with the Game 1 winner victorious. Only one of those went to three games. Ominous.

And we're off ... with a leadoff walk

Granted, last night began with a 1-2-3 first and two runs in the bottom half, then went downhill, so I don't know if the initial batter can really offer an omen of any kind, but Frankie Montas walks Francisco Lindor on a full-count pitch leading off the first, and we're under way.

Mike Moustakas throws out the ceremonial first pitch at Brewers game

Mike Moustakas, who delivered the game-winning single in extras to beat the Colorado Rockies in Game 1 of the National League Division Series in 2018, is in the house for the ceremonial first pitch. The crowd regales him with "Moooooose," of course.

We are just about set for baseball.

This game is going to start on ESPN2

Just checking on to ESPN looking for the Brewers game? It's going to air on ESPN2 until the Orioles-Royals game finishes up.

Former Oakland teammates squaring off tonight

Good nugget from the Brewers game notes: Tonight's pitchers were teammates for four years in Oakland from 2017-21. Frankie Montas started with the Chicago White Sox in 2015 but joined Oakland two years later. He was actually traded three times before he pitched with Oakland, and one deal included the Mets' starting second baseman, Jose Iglesias, who went from Boston to Detroit in that three-team maneuver.

Oakland traded him to the Yankees in 2002.

Sean Manaea was drafted in 2013 by the Royals but was dealt to Oakland, and he made his debut there in 2016. He signed as a free agent with the Giants in 2022 and Mets in 2024.

Tough day for former Brewers pitcher Josh Hader as Astros get eliminated

Josh Hader has been one of the greatest closers in baseball over the past six years, but man, he's had some rough luck in the postseason.

Hader allowed three hits and two walks in 1⅓ innings for Houston on Wednesday, and Andy Ibáñez's bases-clearing double was the difference in a 5-2 win for the Tigers that ended Houston's season. The American League No. 3 seed is out.

Hader was on the hill in 2019 when the Brewers lost a 3-1 lead to the Nationals, though that was a series of unfortunate events that included a bloop single, a hit-by-pitch that probably should have been called a foul and an error by right fielder Trent Grisham. Hader also served up a home run to Freddie Freeman with two outs in the bottom of the eighth in Game 4 of the 2021 NLDS, giving Atlanta a 5-4 win and sealing the series victory for the Braves.

We should point out the good, though, as well. Hader appeared in all three games of the series with Colorado in 2018 and didn't allow a baserunner, striking out four of the seven men he faced. He struck out 12 batters over 7⅔ innings in the 2018 NLCS vs. the Dodgers. He was also excellent for the Padres in 2022.

In fact, coming into today, Hader's postseason ERA was 1.31, with three earned runs in 20⅔ innings and a ridiculous 33 strikeouts to four walks.

The team that loses Game 1 has been in deep, deep trouble

With the Tigers win over Houston, that's now nine wild-card series in the new format adopted in 2022, and all nine have been won by the team that wins Game 1.

That's a little misleading, of course. There were eight three-game series in 2020, a makeshift format for the season abbreviated to 60 games by COVID-19. Even then, six of those series ended in two games, but the two that didn't featured comebacks from one win down by both the Padres and Athletics.

What's amazing about this run since 2022, though, is that one series has even gone to three games, and the team that won Game 1 prevailed. It could be 10 series by the time this game starts, too, with Kansas City looking for the sweep against Baltimore and up 1-0 midway though.

So can the Brewers make a bit of history? It starts with a win Wednesday night.

Is the roof open or closed at American Family Field?

It's closed for Game 2

What time is the Brewers game on today?

Time: 6:38 p.m.

Date: Wednesday, Oct. 2

How to watch: Brewers vs Mets in Game 2 of wild-card playoff series

Brewers starting lineup

• Jackson Chourio, left field

• Blake Perkins, center field

• William Contreras, catcher

• Willy Adames, shortstop

• Gary Sánchez, designated hitter

• Rhys Hoskins, first base

• Sal Frelick, right field

• Joey Ortiz, third base

• Brice Turang, second base

• Frankie Montas, starting pitcher

Mets starting lineup

• Francisco Lindor, shortstop

• José Iglesias, second base

• Mark Vientos, third base

• Brandon Nimmo, left field

• Pete Alonso, first base

• J.D. Martinez, designated hitter

• Starling Marte, right field

• Tyrone Taylor, center field

• Francisco Alvarez, catcher

• Sean Manaea, starting pitcher

Brewers postseason wild-card roster

The Brewers released their playoff roster for the wild-card series against the Mets, and Sal Frelick — whose hip injury in the final series of the year put his roster status in question — is on the list.

Isaac Collins is also on the roster, as are all three catchers who have been with the team during the latter portion of the season. Notable players missing are reliever Bryan Hudson, who hasn't been with the team for most of the September while working in Class AAA Nashville, and Colin Rea, a starter all season who worked more than 100 pitches in the season finale.

The Brewers do have four pitchers who have been starting on the team, including Freddy Peralta, Frankie Montas, Tobias Myers and Aaron Civale. Here's the full list:

• PITCHERS: Aaron Ashby, Aaron Civale, DL Hall, Jared Koenig, Nick Mears, Trevor Megill, Frankie Montas, Tobias Myers, Joel Payamps, Freddy Peralta, Joe Ross, Devin Williams

• CATCHERS: William Contreras, Eric Haase, Gary Sánchez

• INFIELDERS: Willy Adames, Jake Bauers, Rhys Hoskins, Andruw Monsaterio, Joey Ortiz, Brice Turang

• OUTFIELDERS: Jackson Chourio, Isaac Collins, Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell, Blake Perkins

RANKING BREWERS ROSTER: From 1 to 26, who is most crucial to October success

Undaunted Brewers in the playoffs

Brewers in 2024 playoffs

The Brewers cruised to the NL Central championship for a second straight season with a 93-69 record. They're the third seed in the NL bracket.

It's the team's 10th playoff appearance.

Brewers vs Mets playoff schedule

Game 1: Mets vs Brewers - Mets 8, Brewers 4

Game 2: Mets vs Brewers - 6:38 p.m. Wednesday at American Family Field

Game 3: Mets vs Brewers - 7:38 p.m. Thursday at American Family Field (if necessary)*

*Subject to time change based on other outcomes Wednesday.

MLB playoff picture, schedule

There are four games on the MLB playoff schedule today with the two American League wild-card series games up first.

• Detroit Tigers vs Houston Astros - 1:32 p.m. (Detroit defeated Astros, 5-2, to win the series, 2-0)

• Kansas City Royals vs Baltimore Orioles - 3:38 p.m. (Kansas City leads, 1-0)

• New York Mets vs Milwaukee Brewers - 6:38 p.m. (New York leads, 1-0)

• Atlanta Braves vs San Diego Padres - 7:38 p.m. (San Diego leads, 1-0)

(This story was updated to add new information.)

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers 5, Mets 3: Jackson Chourio, Garrett Mitchell lead comeback