Braves set records early against Astros in World Series Game 1

The Atlanta Braves took off with an aggressive big-hitting start in Game 1 of the World Series against the Houston Astros, leading 5-0 and setting records after only three innings.

A record right off the bat

Atlanta’s Jorge Soler took the first swing of the Series and hit one out to over the wall in left, leading off with a home run. With this promising start, he became the first player to hit a homer in the first plate appearance at the top of the first in a World Series.

Only four other players have hit home runs in their team’s first plate appearance, but these were all at the bottom of the first.

These were Don Buford of the Baltimore Orioles in 1969, Dustin Pedroia of the Boston Red Sox in 2007, Alcides Escobar of the Kansas City Royals in 2015, and Chris Taylor of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2017.

Another one for the books

The Braves then set another record early in the game by becoming the first team in World Series history to score in each of the first three innings of Game 1.

After Soler’s homer, Austin Riley hit a double into left-center to score Ozzie Albies, lifting the Braves to 2-0 at the end of the first.

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Soler ground to short at the top of the second, allowing Travis d’Arnaud to come in for the score, bringing it to 3-0.

Adam Duvall sent a rocket into the stands in left for another home run, extending the Braves’ lead to 5-0 at the top of the third.

No matter how the World Series eventually plays out for the Braves, their performance in Game 1 has already sealed their place in baseball history.