By Rory Carroll
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Baseball's 'Fall Classic' will begin in decidedly summer-like conditions on Tuesday in Los Angeles when temperatures are forecasted to set a new high for a World Series game.
Temperatures are expected to reach as high as 101 F (33.3 C) during Game One of the series 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 lefthander added he saw no need to tweak his approach to the Astros lineup just because of the conditions, with warm air causing a baseball to fly farther, 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 5 p.m. PT (0000 GMT), the sun would have mostly set anyway, Kershaw said.
If forecasters are correct Tuesday's game will eclipse the previous record for a World Series set in 2001 when 94 degree temperatures greeted the New York Yankees and the 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."