It was a hot day in Los Angeles, which has to deal with a heat wave at the moment.
When the game went underway at 5:11 PM, it was 103 degrees Fahrenheit (39 Celsius), making it the hottest day in postseason-history.
Last year, it was only 50 degrees (10 Celsius) during Game 1 of the World Series in Cleveland.
Before the start of the game in the huge Dodger Stadium, Sharon and David Robinson, the daughter and son of the legendary Dodger-great Jackie Robinson, threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
Today, it was exactly 45 years ago that Robinson passed away at age 53 in 1972 of a heart attack due to complications from heart disease and diabetes.
This year, it is also 70 years ago that Robinson broke the color line in baseball when he played for Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15,1947.
Robinson played his entire 10-year Major League-career with the Dodgers and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1962.
In 1947, he was the first-ever winner of the Rookie of the Year Award and in 1949, he became the first black player to win the Most Valuable Player Award.
He played in six World Series and won the title with the Dodgers in 1955.
In 1987, the Rookie of the Year Award in both the National and American League was named after him.
Twenty years ago (1997), Robinson's uniform number 42 was retired in the entire Major League.
In 2004, Jackie Robinson Day was introduced with all players and coaches wearing number 42 during games played on April 15.
In the top of the first inning, Dodger-starter Clayton Kershaw retired the side in his first-ever World Series-game.
In the bottom of the first inning, Houston-starter Dallas Keuchel also pitched in his first World Series-game, but had a very different beginning.
Kershaw began with a strikeout, Keuchel's first pitch to lead-off hitter Chris Taylor was hammered over the wall in left-centerfield for a homerun!
In the second inning, Kershaw retired the side again, while the Dodgers got their first hitter on base again when Kiké Hernández led off with a single.
But he was eliminated in a double play.
In the third inning, Houston also recorded its first basehit.
Kershaw began with a strikeout, but then Josh Reddick singled.
Kershaw followed with two more strikeouts.
...The huge and beautiful Dodger Stadium is...
...the site for Game 1 and 2 of the World Series...
...In March, it was the site for the Final Round...
...of the World Baseball Classic...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
In the bottom of the third, Los Angeles got its lead-off hitter on base for the third consecutive time when Austin Barnes singled.
But after Barnes had advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Kershaw, the Houston-defense turned another double on a line drive by Chris Taylor.
Houston came alongside in the top of the fourth inning when Alex Bregman hit a lead-off homerun.
Kershaw recovered immediately and struckout the next three hitters to raise his total to eight.
After Kershaw had retired the side for the third time in the top of the fifth, the Dodgers got another baserunner in the bottom of the fifth in this pitching-duel.
With one out, Corey Seager singled, but for the third time, Houston made a double play.
Kershaw added two strikeouts in the top of the sixth, then the Dodgers added two runs in the home half to re-take the lead.
With two outs, Chris Taylor walked, then Justin Turner connected well and hit a 2-run homerun to make it a 3-1 score in favor of the Dodgers.
With two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, Corey Seager hit his second single in the game, which led to the first pitching change.
Brad Peacock took over from Dallas Keuchel, but he walked Logan Forsythe, but a flyout then ended the at bat.
Brandon Morrow took over the pitching from Clayton Kershaw in the top of the eighth inning of the quick-paced game and retired the side.
Houston went to the bullpen again in the bottom of the eighth, as Chris Devenski was inserted.
He also retired three hitters in a row, including two of them with a strikeout.
In the top of the ninth, closer Kenley Jansen took the mound for the Dodgers and earned a save, as he also got three consecutive outs.
The righthander from Curaçao, who turned 30 in September, began with a strikeout.
Hereafter, Alex Bregman lined out to centerfielder Chris Taylor.
Next, José Altuve flied out to rightfielder Yasiel Puig to end the game, which was attended by more than 54,000 spectators and took only two hours and 28 minutes to complete.
With that, it was the quickest game since Game 4 of the 1992 World Series.
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Dodgers win quick World Series-opener on homerun Justin Turner
LOS ANGELES, California (USA) -
Los Angeles Dodgers opened the 113th World Series on Tuesday-evening (October 24) with a 3-1 victory against Houston Astros.
Game 2 will be played on Wednesday in Los Angeles.
Both teams scored their first run on a homerun.
Chris Taylor led off the first inning for the Dodgers with a homerun, then Alex Bregman homered in the fourth for the Astros to make it an 1-1 score.
In the sixth, Justin Turner hit a 2-run homerun to give Los Angeles a renewed lead in what was a pitching-duel and a quick-paced game that took less then 2½ hours to complete.
Los Angeles Dodgers was the first team to reach the World Series.
The team recorded a big 11-1 win last Thursday-evening in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series against last years World Series-champion Chicago Cubs.
The Dodgers won the first two games at home, then also won the next game in Chicago.
The Cubs won Game 4 to force a fifth game, but then suffered the big loss and was dethroned as champion.
Outfielder Chris Taylor and third baseman Justin Turner were named Co-Most Valuable Players of the LCS.
Houston Astros reached the World Series last Saturday by winning 4-0 in the all-deciding seventh game of the American League Championship Series against New York Yankees.
Houston opened the best-of-seven with two wins at home, but then lost the next three games in New York.
Back home, Houston won Game 6 with a 7-1 score and shutout the Yankees 4-0 in Game 7.
Pitcher Justin Verlander was named Most Valuable Player of the LCS.
Verlander will be the starter in Game 2 of the World Series on Wednesday.
By winning the NLCS, the Dodgers won their 22nd National League-title, the first of which was won in 1890.
It marks the 19th time that the Dodgers play in the World Series.
The Dodgers, which were founded in 1884, first played in Brooklyn (New York) through 1957.
The team then moved to Los Angeles, where it plays since 1958.
It is the tenth time that the Dodgers play in the Series since moving to California.
This year, the Dodgers had the best record in the entire Major League for the first time since 1974.
By winning the ALCS, the Astros won their first American League-title.
In 2005, the team won the National League-title, as the Astros played in this league from its first year in 1962 through 2012.
This is the second time that Houston plays in the World Series.
In 2005, the team was swept in four games by Chicago White Sox.