Chris Taylor 4th Player to Start World Series with a Bang

Dodgers center fielder Chris Taylor didn't take long to get Los Angeles on the board during Tuesday's Game 1 victory over the Houston Astros.

Taylor swung at the first pitch delivered by Astros starter Dallas Keuchel and knocked it over the left field fence, becoming just the fourth player in World Series history to lead off Game 1 of the Series with a home run, per the Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN.com).

The three players to accomplish the same feat are the Baltimore Orioles' Don Buford (1969), the Boston Red Sox's Dustin Pedroia (2007) and the Kansas City Royals' Alcides Escobar (2015). Each of the other three instances of a leadoff homer also occurred in the bottom of the first inning.

Through his first three seasons at the major league level, Taylor played in only 120 games, racking up just one total home run and eight stolen bases. He displayed some speed in the minors, but nowhere near the power he's shown in 2017. The 27-year-old cranked out 21 home runs during the regular season, far and away his best season as a professional, and stole 17 bases.

Taylor's power has translated to the postseason as well. In the two series prior to the Fall Classic, he had two homers.

The Dodgers and Astros return to the diamond for Game 2 of the World Series on Wednesday, with Rich Hill set to take the mound for Los Angeles and Justin Verlander starting for Houston.