The Boston Red Sox trounced the visiting St. Louis Cardinals 8-1 Wednesday in the first game of Major League Baseball's 2013 World Series.
The American League champion Red Sox jumped out to an early lead over the National League champion Cardinals when Mike Napoli hit a bases-loaded double in the first inning. Napoli's hit came after the umpires reversed an earlier call that St. Louis infielder Pete Kozma had tagged a Red Sox runner out at second base, although it was clear he did not cleanly catch the ball from teammate Matt Carpenter.
Boston slugger David Ortiz drove in three runs, including a towering two-run home run in the seventh inning. Ortiz nearly hit a grand slam in the second inning, but St. Louis outfielder Carlos Beltran made the catch right at the wall. Beltran suffered a rib injury on the play and was taken to a hospital for tests.
Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester kept the Cardinals scoreless over seven-plus innings, giving up just five hits while posting eight strikeouts. St. Louis's only run came from Matt Holliday's home run in the ninth inning off reliever Ryan Dempster.
Game two of the best-of-seven series is set for Thursday at Boston's Fenway Park.
The American League champion Red Sox jumped out to an early lead over the National League champion Cardinals when Mike Napoli hit a bases-loaded double in the first inning. Napoli's hit came after the umpires reversed an earlier call that St. Louis infielder Pete Kozma had tagged a Red Sox runner out at second base, although it was clear he did not cleanly catch the ball from teammate Matt Carpenter.
Boston slugger David Ortiz drove in three runs, including a towering two-run home run in the seventh inning. Ortiz nearly hit a grand slam in the second inning, but St. Louis outfielder Carlos Beltran made the catch right at the wall. Beltran suffered a rib injury on the play and was taken to a hospital for tests.
Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester kept the Cardinals scoreless over seven-plus innings, giving up just five hits while posting eight strikeouts. St. Louis's only run came from Matt Holliday's home run in the ninth inning off reliever Ryan Dempster.
Game two of the best-of-seven series is set for Thursday at Boston's Fenway Park.