Just hours before news of the United States’ actions broke, Chourio on January 2 continued his progress through Venezuelan winter league pitching with perhaps his greatest performance yet, hitting an extra-inning home run that turned out to be the game-winner for his team, Águilas del Zulia, in their first playoff game.
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The Brewers and Chourio had agreed to an unannounced date to conclude their time in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League before the end of its postseason, which is at the end of January.
Chourio himself said he had “very few games left” after the January 2 game. With uncertainty in Venezuela in the wake of Maduro’s capture regarding possible civil conflict or greater U.S. involvement (President Donald Trump said Jan. 3 that the U.S. will “run” the country), the Brewers are also in a state of flux when it comes to determining how to move forward with their players in Venezuela.
Given the uncertainty in Venezuela, it would be understandable if the Brewers wanted to accelerate the timeline for Chourio and others to return to the United States before spring training begins in February, but complicating matters is the federal ban implemented by the Federal Aviation Administration on U.S. aircraft in Venezuela following military strikes in Caracas.
“We don’t have a lot of information right now, but we’re trying to follow up,” Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold told the Journal Sentinel through a team spokesperson. “We know the airports have been closed, but not much else.”
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Cerveceros infielder Andruw Monasterio is also playing in the LVBP playoffs for Caribes de Anzoátegui, while catcher Jeferson Quero, a Venezuelan native, played for Cardenales de Lara this winter and remains in Venezuela, his agent Peter Greenberg confirmed. Newly acquired reliever Ángel Zerpa was in his native country at the time of the trade to the Brewers in December, although it is not known if he remains in Venezuela.
William Contreras, also from Venezuela, resides outside the country during the offseason.
Chourio went 4-for-5 and finished one triple short of the cycle in his debut in the Venezuelan playoffs (he has played one season with Águilas in each of the last five seasons) and is dominating as one of the best players in the league, with 13 of his last 18 with four extra-base hits, eight runs scored and no strikeouts.
Águilas is in the midst of its best season since 2016-17, when they won the LVBP championship, making it even more important for Chourio to represent his hometown team in the postseason. The 21-year-old outfielder dealt with a hamstring strain during the regular season and playoffs for the Brewers, limiting him to just eight regular-season games with Zulia. One of those games was played hours before a drone attack near Maracaibo, Chourio’s hometown and home of Águilas, on December 24; Chourio went 5 for 5 that night.
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This article originally appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Jackson Chourio, other Brewers in Venezuela amid uncertainty