Chris Sale vs. Clayton Kershaw World Series Pitching Matchup Fizzles Out

Coming into Game 1 of the World Series, two elite pitchers in Chris Sale and Clayton Kershaw had the potential to showcase some of the top talents in the MLB on the biggest stage. Instead, the offense for the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers showed up big-time, and the speed and depth for the pitchers simply weren’t there last night.

To Chris Sale’s credit, he did just enough to hold off the Dodgers and put his team in a decent position to win.  Eduardo Nunez knocked in a three-run homer over the Green Monster, which shows how much offense was on display in Game 1.

Your #SaleDay line: pic.twitter.com/Aw8VSPDiKM

— Red Sox (@RedSox) October 24, 2018

By the Numbers, Sale vs. Kershaw Edition:

Both Chris Sale and Clayton Kershaw pitched four innings in Game 1 of the World Series. Kershaw allowed 7 hits and 5 earned runs, while Sale gave up 5 hits and 3 earned runs.

“The team battled well, we stuck in there, kept fighting back, kept fighting back. They finally got one there at the end to put us out of it, but the team did a good job of battling and grinding through,” Kershaw said. “We got to Sale a little bit tonight, so a lot of good things on the offensive side for sure.”

Sale also racked in 7 strikeouts to Kershaw’s 5 strikeouts. Sale even allowed one less walk than Kershaw. Most importantly, Sale’s team took care of business, winning 8-4. By the numbers, it’s safe to say Sale won this matchup, but neither performed at a level they are capable of.

Boston manager Alex Cora said he was proud of his guy at the end of the night.

‘That was good stuff today, they did a good job of taking pitches and fouling pitches,” Cora said. “But stuff-wise, probably the best in the postseason. And he feels really good, no problems with the belly button. So that’s a plus. He’ll be okay for the next one.”