Mookie Betts, Clayton Kershaw Lead Dodgers to World Series Sport 1 Desire vs. Rays
David J. Phillip/Connected Press
The Los Angeles Dodgers took the hole sport of the 2020 World Series with an 8-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday at Globe Lifestyles Field in Arlington, Texas.
Clayton Kershaw tossed six innings and struck out eight, permitting correct one earned shuffle off a Kevin Kiermaier solo home shuffle.
Cody Bellinger and Mookie Betts every hit homers for the Dodgers, who scored all eight of their runs between the fourth and sixth innings to take an 8-1 edge. The Rays mounted a seventh-inning rally to prick the deficit to eight-3 but may per chance most definitely no longer blueprint any nearer.
Los Angeles is seeking its seventh World Series crown and first since 1988. Tampa Bay is buying for its first-ever Series title since debuting in MLB as a spread franchise in 1998.
Valuable Performances
Rays SP Tyler Glasnow: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 6 ER, 6 BB, 8 Ok
Rays OF Kevin Kiermaier: 2-for-3, R, 2 RBI, HR
Rays 3B Joey Wendle: 1-for-4, 1 R, 2B
Dodgers SP Clayton Kershaw: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, BB, 8 Ok
Dodgers RF Mookie Betts: 2-for-4, 2 R, RBI, BB, 2 SB, HR
Dodgers CF Cody Bellinger: 1-for-4, R, 2 RBI, HR
Kershaw Tosses 6-Inning Gem
The Dodgers ace chanced on himself in pain in the tip of the first inning after the Rays build runners on first and 2d with one out following a Yandy Diaz single and a Randy Arozarena scamper.
Rays cleanup hitter Hunter Renfroe, who sports actions a profession .915 OPS in opposition to left-handers, then strolled to the plate.
The sport will like pivoted one of two ways at that level: Either Renfroe (and the hitters at the abet of him) may per chance most definitely bury Kershaw and build him in an early hole, or the left-hander may per chance most definitely wiggle his blueprint out of a jam and wrest momentum abet from the Rays.
The latter probability occurred and with relative ease: Kershaw space Renfroe down swinging on a 75 mph breaking ball earlier than Manuel Margot tapped a ball abet to the left-hander for a truly easy putout.
From that 2d forward, Kershaw build on a masterclass in pitching, alongside with his slider doing severe work, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan:
Jeff Passan @JeffPassan
Over the last three innings, Clayton Kershaw has struck out 5 assorted Rays swinging alongside with his slider: Willy Adames, Mike Zunino, Brandon Lowe, Randy Arozarena and Manuel Margot. That pitch is in actuality working. He has sat down 11 straight and has thrown four shutout innings.
Kershaw did hang a breaking ball in opposition to Kiermaier, who used to be accountable for the pitcher’s greatest blemish from the 2d thru sixth frames.
Still, Kershaw retired 13 straight batters from his first-inning jam unless the Kiermaier homer, and he then space down his last four batters earlier than being pulled from the game at 78 pitches.
The left-hander will like gone longer, but supervisor Dave Roberts relied on his bullpen to take care of a seven-shuffle lead and subsequently Kershaw’s arm in blueprint of some other doable World Series birth.
Within the end, Kershaw flummoxed Rays batters all night, and one stat from ESPN Stats & Data proved this conception:
ESPN Stats & Data @ESPNStatsInfo
Rays hitters uncared for on 19 of their 38 swings in opposition to Clayton Kershaw tonight.
It be the first sport in Kershaw’s profession (usual or postseason) that hitters uncared for on 50% of their swings in opposition to him (min. 25 pitches). https://t.co/mimfgkjqv5
He also tied a couple of extinct postseason star pitchers in Curt Schilling and Josh Beckett in some other category, per MLB Stats:
Alongside with the Dodgers’ shuffle succor, Kershaw cruised to victory and moved the crew one step nearer to securing its first World Series in 32 years.
Dodger Bats Discover to Glasnow in 4-Bustle fifth
Rays starter Tyler Glasnow nearly threw as many balls (54) as strikes (58), walked six and couldn’t salvage out of the fifth inning.
It be pretty to wonder if Glasnow must had been given the different to take the mound in the fifth: He threw 86 pitches thru four innings and gave up two runs in the fourth off a Bellinger moonshot.
Plus, the Rays are historically identified for his or her swiftly hooks. Zach Kram of The Ringer pointed out that Glasnow’s 112 pitches had been the most by any Rays pitcher since 2008. Of designate, supervisor Kevin Money pulled starter Charlie Morton after correct 66 pitches in Sport 7 of this three hundred and sixty five days’s American League Championship Series despite the supreme-hander throwing 5.2 shutout innings unless that level.
ESPN’s Karl Ravech wondered leaving Glasnow in:
Glasnow walked Betts and Corey Seager earlier than punching out Justin Turner on a 98 mph fastball, but the 2 Dodgers runners stole 2d and third to salvage into scoring build.
A Max Muncy groundout led to an try at nabbing Betts out at home, but that effort proved futile. A Will Smith RBI single then ended Glasnow’s night.
Tampa Bay couldn’t restrict the hurt from there: RBI singles from Chris Taylor and Enrique Hernandez build L.A. up 6-1, and the Dodgers went up 8-1 off a Betts solo homer and a Muncy RBI double.
It be great to verbalize whether or no longer the Rays will like pulled out a hang had Money gone to the pen earlier, as Tampa’s bats had been soundless largely serene in a three-shuffle effort. However the Rays dug themselves a deep hole in the center innings that they may per chance most definitely additionally no longer climb out of earlier than it used to be too leisurely.
What’s Next?
Sport 2 will take build Wednesday at 8: 08 p.m. ET. Globe Lifestyles Field may per chance most definitely be the home for the total sequence, and Fox will televise every contest.