Baseball's 'Fall Classic' will begin in summer-like conditions on Tuesday in Los Angeles where temperatures are forecast to set a new high for a World Series game.
Temperatures are expected to reach 33.3 degrees during game one between the hometown Dodgers and Houston Astros as warm Santa Ana winds sweep into the area.
The Dodgers' game-one starter Clayton Kershaw, however, said players on both sides were well prepared for the heat.
"They're from Houston. I'm from Texas," the Dallas native told reporters. "It's going to be hot for everybody. We're all used to it. It will be fine."
The left-hander added he saw no need to tweak his approach to the Astros' line-up just because of the conditions, with warm air causing a baseball to fly futher, generating more home runs and extra base hits.
That, however, could be offset by the wind from the northeast, which blows in from the outfield at Dodgers Stadium and, by the time the game starts at 5pm, the sun would have almost set, Kershaw said.
If forecasters are correct, Tuesday's game will eclipse the previous record for a World Series set in 2001 for the New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks for game one in Phoenix.
As bad as it is likely to get, the heat is not enough to sway Astros starter Dallas Keuchel to shave his beard, he said.
"It's going to be hotter than normal but, at the same time, I like to sweat. I like to get that perspiration and make sure I have a firm grip on the ball," he said.
"And, I mean, it's the World Series so, if it's a little bit hotter than usual, that's fine with me."
"There's no place I'd rather be."
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