Twenty-five batters. That's how long the Los Angeles Dodgers went between base hits in Games 2 and 3 of the World Series.
In Game 3 on Friday (GameTracker), Joc Pederson swatted a two-out solo home run in the third inning to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead against Rick Porcello and the Red Sox. It was the team's first hit since Yasiel Puig's two-run single against David Price in the fourth inning of Game 2 on Wednesday.
Here's the Pederson home run:
That home run was only the second extra-base hit in 81 World Series plate appearances for the Dodgers. Matt Kemp has a solo home run against Chris Sale in Game 1. Also, Pederson is now has four career World Series homers, tied for third most in franchise history. The list:
- Duke Snider: 11
- Gil Hodges: 5
- Joc Pederson: 4
- Roy Campanella, Davey Lopes, Reggie Smith, Steve Yeager: 4 each
Pederson, despite owning a .247/.340/.473 batting line in 40 career postseason games, did not start Game 1 or 2 because the lefties Sale and Price were on the mound. He saw nine pitches in his first at-bat of Game 3, then went deep the second time up. Not a bad start to the night for Joc.
As for the Red Sox, they are 9-0 this postseason when scoring first and 0-2 when their opponents score first. To take a commanding 3-0 series lead, Boston will have to do something they've yet to do this postseason, and that's win when allowing the first run.
