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Jorge Soler became the first player in MLB history to lead off the World Series with a home run as the Atlanta Braves stole homefield advantage from the Houston Astros with a 6-2 victory in Game 1. The Braves got on the scoreboard in each of the first three innings to jump out to an early lead. Unfortunately, they may have also suffered a catastrophic loss.
Starting pitcher Charlie Morton suffered a broken leg in Game 1 and had to leave in the third inning. Morton had a shutout going and looked good, which further complicates matters for Atlanta. The Braves were already short on starting pitching entering the series and will now likely have to lean on relievers and starting pitchers on short rest. Atlanta overcame Ronald Acuna’s absence, so they could also overcome this.
The Astros have lost Game 1 in each of their World Series appearances. They went on to win only one of those series, in 2017 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Let’s see if they can bounce back in 2021 like they did in that series.