In First World Series Game, a Solid Shutout

Corey Kluber got the Cleveland Indians off to a great start and Roberto Perez finished off the Chicago Cubs in their first World Series game since 1945. Kluber pitched neatly into the seventh inning, Perez hit two home runs, and the Indians beat the Cubs 6-0 in the opener Tuesday night, the AP reports. AL Championship Series MVP Andrew Miller escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the seventh and got out of trouble in the eighth, preserving a 3-0 lead at Cleveland's Progressive Field.

In a matchup between the teams with baseball's longest championship droughts, the Indians scored twice in the first inning off October ace Jon Lester and were on their way. Perez drove in four runs—he became the first No. 9 batter to homer twice in a Series game, and the first Indians player to accomplish the feat. He hit a three-run drive to put it away. In an ominous statistic for the Cubs, who are seeking their first title since 1908, the Game 1 winner has taken the title in the last six Series and 17 of the last 19. Trevor Bauer, trying to come back from a sliced pinkie, starts Game 2 for the Indians on Wednesday night against Jake Arrieta. (More World Series stories.)