It took just three pitches for the Cubs to race out to an early Game 7 lead

Charlie Riedel/AP

The Chicago Cubs have raced out to an early lead in Game 7 of the World Series after leadoff hitter Dexter Fowler hit a home run on just the third pitch of the game.

Fowler’s home run marked the first leadoff home run in a World Series Game 7. That it came off the red-hot Corey Kluber is especially impressive.

On contact, Fowler knew he made good contact but did not look certain that the ball had enough distance to clear the park.

via Fox

And it only barely cleared the center field wall:

via Fox

Fowler went nuts when he saw it leave the park, turning toward his team’s dugout to pump his teammates up:

David J. Phillip/AP

Here’s the homer, courtesy of MLB:

It’s a dream start for the Cubs, especially on the road and against Kluber. But there’s still a lot of baseball to be played.