The Swiss army knife that is the Red Sox offense sliced up the game’s best pitcher.
What was touted as the supreme pitching matchup of this World Series between Red Sox ace Chris Sale and Dodgers legend Clayton Kershaw turned into a slugfest and an 8-4 Game 1 win for Boston.
Boston Red Sox on Twitter
Hi everyone, we have a 1-0 lead in the #WorldSeries! https://t.co/oEjOnFOGKU
Kershaw is a three-time Cy Young Award winner and the consensus best regular season pitcher of the last decade, but he’s 9-9 in the postseason for his career with a 4.28 ERA.
With the exception of his eight-inning shutout against the Braves in the NLDS, Kershaw has been meatloaf in the playoffs. On Tuesday night, he got roasted in his first Fenway Park appearance against a Red Sox team that went 4-for-12 with runners in scoring position and are hitting .365 in those spots this postseason.
Led by Mookie Betts, the Red Sox can score in myriad ways and did so on Tuesday night. Entering the game, the Red Sox were the only team this postseason to strike out less than 20 times. Their contact-first approach speaks volumes about which hitting styles lead to championships in baseball.
Boston Red Sox on Twitter
@mookiebetts with the biggest contribution of the night… Free Tacos! https://t.co/ZCN2Sjscno
They have manufactured 75 runs in 10 postseason games without relying on the home run and it doesn’t matter which stud pitcher they face, the results are usually the same. They have won games started by four former Cy Young Award winners: CC Sabathia, Dallas Keuchel, Justin Verlander and now Kershaw, who went just four innings, surrendering seven hits and five earned runs in a Game 1 start he’d love to get a re-do on.
The Sox brought the boom too, as Eduardo Nunez hit the first pinch-hit homer in the World Series since Hideki Matsui in 2009.
Boston Red Sox on Twitter
Núñez for THREEEEE! #DoDamage https://t.co/aTJ4OWOK0G
It was a three-run shot that put the game out of reach and brings Alex Cora just three wins away from history.
Boston Red Sox on Twitter
Live from Fenway after a #WorldSeries Game 1 win! https://t.co/lBaGxcHb3c
