Keston Hiura hits walkoff homer for Brewers on first back in the big leagues

MILWAUKEE — Keston Hiura returned to the majors and hit a two-run, winning homer off Jesse Chavez in the 11th inning as the Milwaukee Brewers rallied from a four-run deficit to beat Atlanta 7-6 on Wednesday.

The Brewers had tied it with two outs in the ninth on an RBI triple from Kolten Wong.

Hiura, called up from Triple-A Nashville earlier in the day, led off the bottom of the 11th by sending a 1-2 sinker from Chavez (0-1) over the center-field wall. The drive scored automatic runner Jace Peterson.

Hiura was batting .216 with two homers when he was sent to the minors earlier this month.

Both teams scored in the 10th, and Atlanta took a 6-5 lead when Travis d’Arnaud led off the top of the 11th with a single down the right-field line off Trevor Kelley (1—0) that brought home automatic runner Ozzie Albies from second.

Milwaukee made it 4-all in the ninth when Atlanta closer Kenley Jansen blew a save for the first time in 10 opportunities.

After falling behind 0-2, Wong worked the count full and then sent a liner into the right-field corner to bring home Peterson with the tying run. Peterson had drawn a leadoff walk and stole second with one out.

Atlanta took a 5-4 lead in the 10th when automatic runner Ronald Acuña Jr. hustled home from second on a botched double-play attempt for an unearned run. Milwaukee tied it on Hunter Renfroe’s sacrifice fly.

Atlanta had grabbed a 4-0 lead when Austin Riley and Marcell Ozuna hit back-to-back homers off Corbin Burnes with two outs in the third.

The burst started when a pitch from Burnes glanced off Acuña’s arm and Matt Olson singled.

Riley then hit a slow roller that headed halfway up the third-base line before finally going foul, preventing an infield hit that would have scored Acuña.

What seemed like good fortune for the Brewers ended up being a tough break. On the next pitch, Riley sent a cutter from Burnes over the center-field wall for a 429-foot, three-run shot. Ozuna followed with a 409-foot drive to left for his second homer in as many days.

Riley has eight homers and Ozuna seven this season.

The Brewers cut the lead to 4-2 in the fourth as Tyrone Taylor and Rowdy Tellez produced RBI singles. Mike Brosseau’s two-out RBI double in the sixth made it 4-3.

Atlanta starter Max Fried struck out six and allowed seven hits, three runs and two walks in six innings.

The Brewers actually hit Fried harder than they usually do. Fried has allowed four earned runs in his last 31 innings against the Brewers, including six shutout innings in Game 2 of last year’s National League Division Series.

Burnes struck out seven and yielded four runs and seven hits in his six-inning stint.