Oct 24, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw throws a pitch against the Houston Astros in the first inning in game one of the 2017 World Series at Dodger Stadium. Photo Credit: Tim Bradbury/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Sports
LOS ANGELES — Clayton Kershaw struck out 11 over seven innings, and Chris Taylor and Justin Turner homered as the Los Angeles Dodgers won Game 1 of the World Series 3-1 over the Houston Astros on Tuesday.
Brandon Morrow pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning and Kenley Jansen worked a perfect ninth as the Dodgers came out on top in their first World Series game in 29 years.
The Astros are now 0-5 in their World Series history. They were swept in 2005 by the Chicago White Sox.
It was vintage Kershaw on Tuesday as he allowed three hits and only a home run to Alex Bregman. Kershaw improved to 7-7 with a 4.21 ERA in the postseason. The 11 strikeouts were one shy of his career playoff best.
The Dodgers got all the offense they needed courtesy of co-NLCS MVPs Taylor and Turner.
Taylor hit Astros starter Dallas Keuchel’s first pitch of the game some 447 feet into the left field seats, raising the decibel level even higher from a crowd of 54,253 at Dodger Stadium.
Taylor became the fourth player in World Series history to lead off Game 1 of the World Series with a home run, joining Kansas City’s Alcides Escobar (2015), Boston’s Dustin Pedroia (2007) and Baltimore’s Don Buford (1969).
After Bregman’s blast in the fourth, Turner drove one just over the wall in left field in the sixth for a two-run shot that also scored Taylor. Turner’s four home runs this postseason are one shy of the club record set by Davey Lopes in 1978.
Turner has 26 postseason RBIs with the Dodgers, tying Duke Snider for the franchise record. No Dodger has ever recorded more RBIs than the 14 Turner recorded in these playoffs.
Kershaw, utilizing a sharp slider, dominated early, striking out five in his first three innings. He didn’t give up a hit until Josh Reddick’s single in the third inning.
In the fourth, Kershaw’s issue with the long ball this postseason surfaced when Bregman homered to left for his third of the playoffs. It was the seventh home run that Kershaw has given up this postseason. Kershaw still struck out the side in the fourth.
Bregman went 1-for-4 to raise postseason average to .196. Five of his eight hits in the playoffs have been for extra bases.
NOTES: Astros RHP Justin Verlander, the AL Championship Series MVP, will start Game 2 on Wednesday against Dodgers LHP Rich Hill. … The Dodgers added SS Corey Seager and RHP Brandon McCarthy to the World Series roster, dropping OF Curtis Granderson and C Kyle Farmer. Seager missed the NL Championship Series with a back injury. … The Astros did not make any changes from their roster in the ALCS. … Houston 3B Alex Bregman, at 23 years, 208 days, became the youngest American League player to hit a home run in a World Series since Manny Ramirez (23 years, 148 days) in 1995. … Astros SS Carlos Correa became the seventh native of Puerto Rico to bat cleanup in a World Series game, joining teammate Carlos Beltran.
