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LIVE BOX
Aces Clayton Kershaw and Chris Sale may have been the headliners for Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday night at Fenway Park, but they were long gone by the time this back-and-forth affair was settled for good.
Eduardo Nunez’s pinch-hit, three-run homer in the seventh inning gave the Red Sox an 8-4 lead they would not relinquish as Boston grabbed the early 1-0 advantage in the Fall Classic.
Andrew Benintendi, who became the third Red Sox player to record four hits in a World Series game, scored three times while J.D. Martinez had two RBI hits, and Sandy Leon added two hits to pace the Boston offense.
After Sale (3 runs on five hits with two walks and seven strikeouts) exited after four innings, six Boston relievers combined to allow one run on two hits and one walk — all by Ryan Braiser — and the Red Sox offense did the rest.
Kershaw also lasted four innings and allowed five runs on seven hits and three walks.
After the Red Sox led 2-0 after one inning following RBI hits from Benintendi and Martinez, the Dodgers would tie the game twice, but were answered immediately by the Red Sox in the third and fifth. That latter was when the Red Sox took the lead for good with an RBI groundout by Xander Bogaerts and an RBI single by Rafael Devers.
David Price takes the hill tomorrow night against Hyun-Jin Ryu in Game 2.
LIVE GAME COVERAGE FROM BEDARD; MCADAM IN THE COMMENTS
Top of the 9th
- Pederson grounds out.
- Muncy strikes out.
Bottom of the 8th
After Leon led off with a single, the Sox went in order to send Kimbrel trotting in.
Top of the 8th
Eovaldi in.
- Kemp and Hernandez groundout.
- Puig is out on a great play by Bogaerts. Kimbrel will get the 9th.
Bottom of the 7th
- Benintendi has a Fenway double down left-field line into the crowd (Pederson should have had it) to become the third Red Sox to have four hits in a World Series game (Jacoby Ellsbury, Wally Moses).
Baez enters. Moreland hits for Pearce.
- Moreland strikes out, which leads to Martinez being intentionally walked.
- Baez climbs the ladder to get Bogaerts to strike out. Huge out.
Alex Wood entering. Looks like Eovaldi will get 8th for Sox.
Nunez hitting for Devers.
- Pinch-hit, three-run homer. Alex Cora does it again. RUNS: Red Sox 8, Dodgers 4.
https://twitter.com/CaseyBake16/status/1054938650432155650
Top of the 7th
Brasier in.
- Joc Pederson pinch-hits for Barnes ... grounds out to short.
- Max Muchy pinch-hits for Dozier. ... singles to center.
- Turner... also singles up the middle.
- Grandal pinch-hitting for Freese. ... Walks to load the bases for Machado.
- Sac fly by Machado. Bradley's throw was off-line. RUN: Red Sox 5, Dodgers 4.
Rodriguez into the game.
- On a 2-0 count, E-Rod gets Bellinger to pop out to short center, where Bradley has a little trouble with it.
Bottom of the 6th
Dodgers LHP Julio Urias in. Brasier warming for Sox.
- Leon strikes out, Bradley goes down looking. Betts pops out.
Top of the 6th
Kelly coming in.
Rodriguez warming.
- Great inning from Kelly: two strikeouts and a ground out on 12 pitches.
Bottom of the 5th
Bellinger to CF, Hernandez moves to LF.
- Betts walks.
Madson warming for LA, Kelly for Sox.
- Benintendi singles to LF. Madson entering.
- First pitch is a wild pitch. Both runners advance. ... Four-pitch walk to load bases for Martinez.
https://twitter.com/GregABedard/status/1054921809420828673
- Bogaerts grounds into what looks like an inning-ending double play but Bogaerts busts his butt down the line to score a run. RUN: Red Sox 4, Dodgers 3.
- Devers singles to right. RUN: Red Sox 5, Dodgers 3.
https://twitter.com/CaseyBake16/status/1054924117013655552
- Kinsler pops out to right.
Top of the 5th
Sale back out. Eovaldi has sat down. Matt Barnes now warming.
- Leadoff walk to Dozier on five pitches (last looked like a strike). Sale is done. Barnes in.
- Turner singles to left.
- Barnes gets Freese to chase a hard slider in the dirt. Huge.
- With Machado up (he has Pedroia history with Barnes), wild pitch advances the runners with one out.
- Machado grounds hard up the middle to second but a run scores. RUN: Red Sox 3, Dodgers 3.
- Bellinger pinch-hits for Taylor ... and flies out to RF.
Bottom of 4th
Nathan Eovaldi is warming up. Sale at 86 pitches (53 strikes).
- Kinsler strikes out (again). Twice in this game, 13 times in 26 postseason at-bats.
- Puig strikes out.
- Bradley grounds out to first. He thought it was foul. He may not be wrong.
Top of the 4th
- Hernandez strikes out.
- Puig strikes out. That's seven.
- Barnes lines out
Bottom of the 3rd
- Betts strikes out.
- Benintendi singles awkwardly to left field but misses a chance at 2 when he doesn't hustle out of the box for the second time in the postseason.
- Pearce grounds into what's called an inning-ending double play but the play is challenged and overruled. Dozier was slow on the turn, but Benintendi made a good, hard slide.
- The reversal gives Martinez a chance and he drills a double off the garage door. RUN: Red Sox 3, Dodgers 2.
https://twitter.com/RedSox/status/1054910913382277120
- Martinez appeared to twist his ankle going around second, but he stays in the game.
- Bogaerts intentionally walked.
- Devers strikes out.
Top of the 3rd
- Dozier flies out.
- Turner singles to right.
- On full count and with the runner going, Freese goes 2 for 2 with a single in front of Benintendi.
- Machado RBI single through the third-base hole. RUN: Red Sox 2, Dodgers 2.
https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1054905160634433539
- Taylor strikes out looking.
- Kemp grounds out to Sale.
72 pitches (44 strikes)
Bottom of the 2nd
- Devers walks on five pitches.
- Kinsler strikes out on a pitch low and out of the zone.
- Leon punches a little single to right that takes forever for the Dodgers to track down. Devers easily to third with one out.
- Bradley hits one hard up the middle but into the shift where Machado easily turns two to end the inning and leave that runner on third. (BOS Mistake #2)
Top of the 2nd
- Taylor strikes out on a slider. That's three Ks.
- Kemp homers over The Wall on a 3-2 pitch. A 94 mph fastball left up the zone and over the plate. RUN: Red Sox 2, Dodgers 1.
https://twitter.com/Dodgers/status/1054897864814424064
- Hernandez grounds out to third.
- Puig walks on seven pitches.
- Barnes strikes out on a 96 fastball
Sale fastballs: 94, 94, 93, 94, 94, 95, 94, 93, 94, 96.
Pitches: Sale is up to 50 (30).
Bottom of the first
- Betts singles hard up the middle after a couple of fouls (including one that should have been handled by Freese in foul territory — LA Mistake #1). 2-strike hitting.
- Benintendi singles hard to right. Betts scores, Benintendi to second on the throw home, which was dumb by Puig (LA Mistake #2). RUN: Red Sox 1, Dodgers 0.
https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1054893595222831104
- Pearce pops out.
- Kershaw's not getting the close pitches and Martinez lines hardly to left-center. Benintendi scores. RUN: Red Sox 2, Dodgers 0.
- Martinez is caught stealing, 1-3-4. (BOS Mistake #1)
- Bogaerts pops out.
20 pitches (13 strikes)
Top of the first
- Dozier strikes out looking.
- Turner strikes out on a slider.
- On a 2-2 count, Freese singles to right on a high slider.
- Machado comes up to boos. ... Flies out harmlessly to short left to end the inning.
Good start by Sale. Command was decent and the velocity is good enough to make his change and slider very effective.
Sale fastballs: 94, 92, 95, 94, 93, 93. 94, 96, 93, 94, 94
Pitches: 21 (15 strikes)
___________________
STARTING PITCHERS
- It was a fairly significant surprise that the Red Sox opted to put LHP Drew Pomeranz on the World Series roster. "(It came down to) who we're playing,'' said Alex Cora. "I don't get caught up in the whole lefty thing, we're going to be playing in the National League. The way they manage the game, especially in the N.L. ballparks, it's like in-and-out (with players)...it's like hockey, with different shifts. I do feel that, if it's the series that everyone expects, (Pomeranz) is going to give us a big out. He's throwing the ball well. He's worked very hard the last few weeks. He threw that live BP (Monday) and his velocity was up - finally. We've been waiting for that all season. He's hitting 93-94 mph and that's a big difference for him.'' Cora said the team went back and forth on the decision, debating about Pomeranz, Steven Wright, Bobby Poyner and Brandon Workman.'' Cora said Wright, who came out of the first round with inflammation of the knee "was available. He put himself in the conversation, but he only threw one live BP. For the uniqueness of the pitch, the matchup had a lot to do with the decision.'' Cora said Pomeranz got the edge over Poyner because of a better breaking ball and the ability to pitch up in the strike zone.
- Cora said the chances of Mookie Betts in the three games at Dodger Stadium are "very slim. But he's prepared.'' Cora said that while Betts is capable of handling the position, "he's the best defensive right fielder in the big leagues; he's not going to be the best defensive second baseman in the big leagues. If you start moving a lot of parts, is it worth it?'' But Cora added that, in L.A., Betts might end up at second for an inning or so as part of a double switch before going back to the outfield. "We have to be prepared,'' said Cora. "I'm not worried about him making the plays, but in the outfield, he's just that good.''
- The Sox went with the lefty-hitting Rafael Devers despite the presence of Clayton Kershaw. "Kershaw is one of the best pitchers in the big leagues,'' said Cora, "but through the years, there's some trends and the way he attacks hitters and how he attacks hitters, it's a good matchup for us.'' Cora stressed that Eduardo Nunez (ankle) is "good. With all those lefties in the bullpen, there might be a big at-bat for him in the middle of the game or later in the game.''