Game 1 of the World Series got kicked off with a bang…literally. For the first time in World Series history, the first batter of Game 1 hit a home run to start the series as the Braves’ Jorge Soler took the Astros’ Framber Valdez deep on just the third pitch of the night.
With a 6-2 win, the Braves were able to steal home-field advantage back. If the leadoff batter is any indication, this World Series could be quite explosive.
With the World Series getting into full swing, let’s take a look at some of the stories from the series, as well as news from around the league.
Both World Series Teams Now Without Their Aces
Going into the World Series, the Astros already knew they would be without their ace, Lance McCullers Jr. The hard-throwing righty suffered a forearm strain in his pitching arm in Game 4 of the ALDS.
While an MRI revealed no structural damage, the strain will still keep him out for the rest of the postseason. This season, McCullers went 13-5 with a 3.16 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and struck out 185 in 162.1 innings.
As witnessed in Game 1, the absence of McCullers leaves a huge void in the Astros’ rotation.
For the Braves, it was during Game 1 that they lost their ace. During the second inning, Charlie Morton took a hard ground ball from Yuli Gurriel off his leg. While he pitched for another inning, swelling became bad enough that Morton had to be removed.
An x-ray later revealed that he had fractured his right fibula and is now out for the rest of the postseason. The expectation is that he should be healed and ready to go by the beginning of next season.
This season, the 37-year-old Morton went 14-6 with a 3.34 ERA, 1.045 WHIP, and had 216 strikeouts in 185.2 innings.
While the Braves are happy to take the opener, manager Brian Snitker will have some decisions to make if the series goes deep as there aren’t a whole lot of options left to start beyond Max Fried and Ian Anderson.
Currently, the Braves are the favorites to win the World Series after their Game 1 win. Their moneyline is -155, while the Astros sit at +135.
Jon Gray Looks To Test Market
According to Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post, it appears that Colorado Rockies’ starting pitcher Jon Gray rejected an offer during the regular season that would have extended his contract to stay with the organization.
While Saunders reports that Gray is not opposed to a reunion with the Rockies, he may also test the free-agent market to see what his worth really is.
This season, he went 8-12 with a 4.59 ERA, 1.329 WHIP, and had 157 strikeouts in 149 innings. Surprisingly, he was better at Coors Field (5-5, 4.02 ERA) than on the road (3-7, 5.22 ERA).
The 29-year-old was drafted third overall in the 2013 draft and is 53-49 with a 4.59 ERA in parts of seven seasons with the Rockies.
Cardinals Hire Their New Manager
On Monday, the St. Louis Cardinals announced their new manager, Oliver Marmol. Prior to being named manager, Marmol had served as the bench coach for the Cardinals.
While it was still a shocking revelation to see Mike Shildt fired from the position after leading the Cardinals to a Wild Card berth, hiring internally in Marmol allows for some continuity in the organization.
Interestingly, Marmol is just 35 years old, making him the youngest manager in MLB. Still, he has been with the Cardinals as either a first base coach or bench coach for the last five years.
