Jorge Soler missed most of the Atlanta Braves’ NLCS series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. But he wasted absolutely no time making his presence felt in the World Series against the Houston Astros.
Leading off Tuesday’s Game 1, the Braves slugger deposited a 2-0 pitch from Astros lefty Framber Valdez into the left field seats for a solo home run.
Soler’s homer was history-making in a lot of ways. Per ESPN Stats & Info, the 29-year-old became the first player in MLB history to hit a home run in the first plate appearance of a World Series. As Tuesday’s game was at Houston, an American League ballpark, Soler also became the first designated hitter in MLB history to homer out of the leadoff spot.
The home run put the pressure on Valdez right away. He gave up four more runs in short order (including another RBI groundout from Soler) and got chased from the game in the third inning with the Braves up 5-0.
As for Soler, he missed five of the Braves’ six NLCS games after landing on the COVID-19 list. Now he is making up for lost time and then some by replacing this guy as Atlanta’s new offensive hero.
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