Red Sox 8, Cardinals 1
Mike Napoli doubled in three runs and Jon Lester dominated through 7 2/3 scoreless innings as host Boston took Game 1 of the World Series from St. Louis.
Dustin Pedroia drove in a run and scored twice and David Ortiz added a two-run homer among three RBIs for the Red Sox, who have won nine straight World Series games going back to 2004. Lester (1-0) scattered five hits and walked a batter while striking out eight to improve to 3-1 in the postseason.
Adam Wainwright (0-1) was let down by his defense and ended up charged with five runs (three earned) in five innings. Shortstop Pete Kozma made a pair of errors that led to runs in each of the first two innings as the Cardinals fell into a 5-0 hole and lost Carlos Beltran to a rib injury.
The game turned in the bottom of the first inning when Ortiz grounded to second and Kozma dropped a relay throw that could have turned into an inning-ending double play. Pedroia was initially ruled out at second base before the umpires got together and reversed the call, leaving the bases loaded for Napoli to rip a 2-2 cutter into the gap in left-center to clear the bases and put Boston on top 3-0.
St. Louis’ fielding woes continued in the second when Stephen Drew led off with a popup that dropped harmlessly between Wainwright and catcher Yadier Molina for a single. Kozma’s second error on a soft grounder in the hole loaded the bases, and Pedroia singled in a run before Beltran reached into the bullpen to rob Ortiz’s grand slam attempt and leave the Red Sox with a sacrifice fly and a 5-0 advantage.
Another Cardinals error kept the seventh inning alive for Ortiz, who blasted a two-run homer off left-hander Kevin Siegrist. Daniel Nava doubled and scored on Xander Bogaerts’ sacrifice fly in the eighth and Matt Holliday finally got St. Louis on the board with a solo homer off Ryan Dempster in the ninth.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Ortiz is the first left-handed batter to homer off Siegrist this season. … Beltran, who slammed his chest into the wall robbing Ortiz in the second, left the game in the third with a right rib contusion and was replaced by Jon Jay. Beltran was sent to the hospital for X-rays. … The Cardinals had a chance with the bases loaded in the fourth, but 2011 World Series MVP David Freese grounded into a 1-2-3 double play to end the inning.