Justin Turner and Clayton Kershaw came out red-hot on a 103-degree night as the Dodgers defeated the Astros 3-1 in Game One of the 2017 World Series.
After a 1-2-3 first inning by Kershaw, leadoff hitter Chris Taylor wasted no time by blasting a first pitch homerun to deep left field to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead.
It wasn’t until the 4th inning when the Astros got on the board. Alex Bregman made Kershaw pay for his only mistake of the night with a deep solo home run to left field to even the score at one. This would be one of just three hits for the Astros in the game.
Besides the home run by Bregman, Kershaw was lights out in his long-awaited World Series debut. He allowed one run on three hits in 7 innings while striking out 11 and walking none.
Dallas Keuchel would settle in after Taylor’s leadoff homerun. However, with a runner on and two outs in the 6th, Justin Turner delivered the eventual game-winning home run to left field that put the Dodgers ahead 3-1 for good. Keuchel would finish the night allowing three earned runs on six hits over 6 2/3 innings while striking out three and walking one.
Just as they have been all postseason, the Dodgers bullpen was dominant in the final innings. Brandon Morrow and Kenley Jansen each pitched perfect innings in relief for Kershaw to finish the game and help give the Dodgers a 1-0 series lead.
Justin Verlander will look to help the Astros bounce back in game two on Wednesday night while the Dodgers will hand the ball to Rich Hill to try and guide them to a 2-0 series lead. Game time is set for 8 p.m and can be seen on FOX.
