Kershaw wary of Astros' Altuve: 'He's one of the toughest outs in the game'

One of the top American League MVP candidates is set to go toe-to-toe with a perennial Cy Young contender in Game 1 of the 2017 World Series.

Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve won the league's batting title with a .346 average, and Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw isn't the least bit surprised.

"He hits everything pretty well," Kershaw told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. "He's super aggressive, but at the same time hits a lot of different pitches."

Kershaw hasn't seen much of Altuve over the years due to playing in different leagues, and he's probably happy about that. Altuve has gone 6-for-15 (.400) with four doubles against the big lefty for his career.

"I think he's one of the toughest outs in the game. You just can't give into him."

Only one player - Chris Stewart, surprisingly - with at least 15 at-bats against Kershaw has had more success. Kershaw, however, has managed to sit Altuve down on strikes four times while issuing zero walks.

Altuve's hot bat has continued to burn pitchers in October, as he's hit .400/.500/.775 with five home runs in 11 games since the regular season ended.

Kershaw will have to be his best self to conquer Altuve when the World Series begins Tuesday night in Los Angeles.