WORLD SERIES
DODGERS 3, ASTROS 1
LOS ANGELES -- No one was hotter than Clayton Kershaw.
Changing jerseys to beat the 103-degree heat, the Dodgers ace with a checkered playoff history delivered a signature performance, pitching Los Angeles past the Houston Astros 3-1 on Tuesday night in the World Series opener.
Boosted by Justin Turner's tiebreaking, two-run home run in the sixth inning off former Arkansas Razorback Dallas Keuchel, Kershaw was in complete control against the highest-scoring team in the majors this season.
"I felt good. It's a tough lineup over there," Kershaw said. "The way Keuchel was throwing it was up and down a lot, which was good. It got us into a rhythm a little bit. I think for me personally, it helped out a lot."
The left-hander had waited his whole career for this moment. And once he took the mound in his Series debut, he lived up every bit to the legacy of Sandy Koufax, Orel Hershiser and the greatest of Dodgers hurlers.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner struck out 11, gave up just 3 hits and walked none over 7 innings, featuring a sharp breaking ball that often left Houston batters looking foolish. His lone blemish was a home run by Alex Bregman in the fourth that made it 1-1.
No matter, with Koufax in the house, Kershaw did his pal proud.
"He was as good as advertised," Keuchel said.
Brandon Morrow worked a perfect eighth and Kenley Jansen breezed through the Astros in the ninth for a save in a combined three-hitter. The Dodgers' dominant relievers have thrown 25 consecutive scoreless innings this postseason.
With both aces throwing well, the opener zipped by in 2 hours, 28 minutes -- fastest in the World Series since Game 4 in 1992 between Toronto and Atlanta. Jimmy Key and the Blue Jays won that one 2-1 in 2:21.
And it certainly was unusual for this postseason, with games averaging 3 hours, 32 minutes -- up 18 minutes from two years ago.
A pulsating crowd that came to see the Dodgers' first Series game since 1988 enjoyed an immediate jolt when Chris Taylor hit a no-doubt home run on Keuchel's very first pitch. Taylor was the co-MVP of the NL Championship Series with Turner, and they both kept swinging away against the Astros.
"Just getting that momentum early is huge," Kershaw said. "And let the crowd kind of feed off that. It was definitely as good a start as we could have hoped for."
The loss left the Astros still without a single World Series victory in their 56-season history. In their only other Series appearance, they were swept by the White Sox in 2005.
Game 2 is tonight, with AL Championship Series MVP Justin Verlander starting against Dodgers left-hander Rich Hill.
Kershaw has almost every imaginable individual accolade on his resume -- 5 ERA titles, 1 MVP trophy, 1 no-hitter and 7 All-Star selections -- but also was dogged by a shaky October past.
He began this outing in the twilight with a 6-7 career playoff record and an unsightly 4.40 ERA. He improved to 3-0 in four starts this postseason.
"I don't know if you can decipher between a postseason start and a World Series start. The adrenaline, I feel like every game is so much more magnified," Kershaw said.
A Series opener that served as a showcase for several of the game's best young hitters -- Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Cody Bellinger and more -- instead was dominated by Kershaw.
Facing a team that had the fewest strikeouts in the majors this year, Kershaw fanned more Houston hitters than any starter this season.
The Dodgers, who led the majors with 104 victories and a $240 million payroll, watched Kershaw put them ahead in this best-of-seven series.
It was 1-1 when Taylor drew a two-out walk in the sixth. Turner followed with his drive off Keuchel.
"Keuchel was really good tonight. He was just a pitch or two less than Kershaw," Astros Manager A.J. Hinch said.
While it was sweltering, the conditions didn't seem to affect either side.
There is no reliable record for the hottest temperature at a World Series game. But weather data indicate this might have been the steamiest ever.
The temperature at first pitch was 103 degrees, easily exceeding the 94 degrees in Game 1 in 2001 at Phoenix's Chase Field, which is believed to be the previous high for a World Series game. It was 93 when the game ended.
Notorious for late arrivals, Dodger fans showed up early and the seats in the shaded sections filled up fast. Keeping with the theme, the stadium organist played 1960s hits Heat Wave and Summer in the City as Houston warmed up.
Information for this article was contributed by The Washington Post.
Sports on 10/25/2017