Kershaw, Dodgers take World Series Game 1 over Rays
ARLINGTON, TX - OCTOBER 20: Mookie Betts #50 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a home run in the sixth inning during Game 1 of the 2020 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Tampa Bay Rays at Globe Life Field on Tuesday, October 20, 2020
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Clayton Kershaw pitched six dominant innings, Cody Bellinger and Mookie Betts homered and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 8-3 to open a surreal World Series played amid the pandemic.
A neutral-site crowd limited by the coronavirus to 11,388 at Globe Life Field, the new $1.2 billion home of the Texas Rangers, saw the Dodgers chase a wild Tyler Glasnow and break away. Game 2 is Wednesday night.
The Dodgers, who posted the best record in the majors during the shortened season, plan to throw a collection of relievers against Rays ace Blake Snell.
Kershaw, a regular-season star with an erratic postseason history, allowed one run on two hits, struck out eight and left with an 8-1 lead.
Fresh off making three terrific catches in the NL Championship Series, Betts hit a solo home run and stole two bases. Bellinger launched a two-run shot in the fourth inning to break a scoreless tie — his seventh-inning homer in Game 7 of the NLCS put Los Angeles ahead to stay against Atlanta.