It took three pitches for history to be made in the 2021 World Series.
In the first plate appearance of this year’s version of the Fall Classic, Atlanta Braves slugger Jorge Soler homered off Houston Astros pitcher Framber Valdez for a very quick 1-0 lead in Game 1.
Per MLB.com’s Sarah Langs, Soler’s homer is the first time the World Series has ever been opened with a home run. Four leadoff batters had homered in the first inning, but it had never been done by a visiting team (i.e. the team that hits first).
The home run was of the line-drive variety, exiting Soler’s bat at 105 mph with a 22-degree launch angle and traveling 382 feet. It was one of three balls hit more than 100 mph off Valdez in the first inning, the others being a groundout by Freddie Freeman and an RBI double from Austin Riley to give the Braves an early 2-0 lead.
A former AL home-run champion with the Kansas City Royals, Soler was acquired at the trade deadline and has been the slugger the Braves were hoping for. He hit .269/.358/.524 with 14 homers in 242 plate appearances for Atlanta in the regular season and is one of several players acquired at midseason who have helped the Braves reach the World Series.
