Giants bring first World Series title to S.F.

ARLINGTON, Texas – A sophisticated city by a magnificent bay parched for a baseball championship can pop corks and douse itself in bubbly. The San Francisco Giants won their first World Series since 1954 and first since moving from New York four years later Monday night with a 3-1 Game 5 victory over the Texas Rangers.

Giants shortstop Edgar Renteria, in the twilight of a career highlighted by the winning hit in the 1997 World Series, smacked a three-run home run in the seventh inning after telling a teammate he would do it, and Tim Lincecum and closer Brian Wilson made the lead stand up, the last out coming on a strikeout of Nelson Cruz at 9:30 p.m. CT at Rangers Ballpark. Wilson was embraced by rookie catcher Buster Posey and engulfed by teammates seconds later.

Willie Mays must have let out a joyous “Say hey!” Juan Marichal might have approximated his signature high leg kick. Barry Bonds might have allowed himself a smile. A proud franchise that has more victories than any other – yes, including the New York Yankees – finally delivered a championship to San Francisco.

Facing Cliff Lee, a pitcher who until this Series had been invincible in two consecutive postseasons, Renteria drove a 2-0 cut fastball over the fence in left-center field, silencing the sellout crowd of 52,045 and scoring Cody Ross and Juan Uribe(notes) ahead of him. Renteria, who batted .412 in the Series, was named Most Valuable Player.

The drought included Series losses in 1962, 1989 and 2002. It included the long and storied careers of Willie McCovey, Will Clark, Bobby Bonds and his more celebrated son. It included managers from Bill Rigney, Alvin Dark and Herman Franks in the 1960s to Dusty Baker and Felipe Alou in the 2000s. And it lingered through the Summer of Love, a major earthquake and the turn of a century.

“For us to win for our fans – it’s never been done there with all those great teams – that was a euphoric feeling,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “All those (former players) were in the clubhouse so many times and they were pulling for these guys to win. They helped us get here.”

 

Matchups

 Game 1

Wednesday, October 27, 2010 — 7:57 p.m. (EDT) at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California

The anticipated pitchers' duel between former Cy Young Award winners Cliff Lee and Tim Lincecum never materialized, as Lincecum gave up two early runs and Lee gave up seven runs (six were earned) in 4 ²⁄₃ innings. In the first inning, Lincecum gave up a hit and a walk, respectively, to the first two batters he faced: Elvis Andrus and Michael Young. Andrus scored on a Vladimir Guerrero single that struck Lincecum's leg and bounced into right field. In the second, Bengie Molina singled, advanced to third on a Lee double, and scored on Andrus' sacrifice fly. In the bottom of the third inning, Edgar Rentería reached on error and advanced to second when Lee hit Andrés Torres. Rentería scored on a Freddy Sanchez RBI double, and Torres scored on a Buster Posey RBI single, tying the game.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Torres doubled and scored on another Sanchez double. Lee then walked Pat Burrell and gave up back-to-back singles to Cody Ross and Aubrey Huff, which scored Sanchez and Burrell, respectively. Lee was then replaced with Darren O'Day, who gave up a three-run home run to Juan Uribe that increased the Giants' lead to six runs. In the top of the sixth inning, Lincecum struck out the first two batters he faced, but walked Ian Kinsler, who scored on a Molina double. Molina advanced to third on a Mitch Moreland single and scored on a David Murphy single. Lincecum was then removed from the game, having gone 5 ²⁄₃ innings.

The Giants piled on to their lead in the bottom of the eighth. Rangers reliever Mark Lowe gave up a single to Rentería, who advanced to third on a Vladimir Guerrero fielding error. Rentería then scored on pinch hitter Travis Ishikawa's double. Sanchez singled to score Ishikawa, and advanced to second on another Guerrero error. Lowe recorded one more out before being replaced by Michael Kirkman. Kirkman promptly gave up a single to Nate Schierholtz that scored Sanchez.

In the top of the ninth, Giants reliever Ramón Ramírez gave up a single to pinch hitter Julio Borbon and walked Andrus before being replaced with Jeremy Affeldt. Affeldt threw a wild pitch and walked Josh Hamilton to load the bases, and was replaced by closer Brian Wilson. Guerrero hit a sacrifice fly that scored Borbon, and Nelson Cruz doubled to score Andrus and Hamilton, but Kinsler popped out to end the game.

Game 2

Thursday, October 28, 2010 — 7:57 p.m. (EDT) at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California

Game 2 started out as a pitching duel between strong starters, right-hander Matt Cain for San Francisco and southpaw C. J. Wilson for Texas. Texas nearly took the lead in the top of the fifth inning when Ian Kinsler hit a long drive to center field that looked like it would be a home run, but bounced off the top of the wall and back into the ballpark for a double. Cain stranded Kinsler at second to preserve the scoreless tie. In the bottom of that very same inning, the Giants got to Wilson. Veteran shortstop Edgar Rentería launched a home run into left field to give San Francisco a 1–0 lead. Texas threatened to come right back in the top of the sixth, where with one out, Michael Young and Josh Hamilton singled back to back. The runners then advanced to second and third base on a wild pitch by Cain. The young Giant starter recovered though, getting Nelson Cruz to foul out and Kinsler to pop out to shallow right field to end the threat. The Giants added a run in the bottom of the seventh when Cody Ross walked, advanced to second base on a groundout by Aubrey Huff, and then scored on a single by Juan Uribe. Cain was dominant, going 7 ²⁄₃ innings, allowing only four hits.

What was still a close 2–0 ballgame completely unraveled for Texas in the eighth inning. Wilson was removed from the game with a blister in the seventh inning, and Texas reliever Darren O'Day struck out Andrés Torres and Freddy Sanchez to record the first two outs. Buster Posey singled up the middle, causing Texas manager Ron Washington to relieve O'Day in favor of Derek Holland, in order to get a lefty-lefty matchup against Giant batter Nate Schierholtz. Holland walked Schierholtz and Cody Ross to load the bases, then walked Aubrey Huff to force in a run, increasing the Giants lead to 3–0. Mark Lowe then relieved Holland, but he was no better, walking Uribe to force in another run. Rentería then singled to left field, scoring Ross and Huff to make it 6–0 Giants. Pinch hitter Aaron Rowand was next, and he drove the ball into the right field gap for a triple that scored Uribe and Rentería. Rowand then scored himself on a double from Andrés Torres. The score was now 9–0 Giants, and reliever Guillermo Mota retired the Rangers in the ninth to give San Francisco a 2–0 series lead.

 Game 3

Saturday, October 30, 2010 — 6:57 p.m. (EDT) at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington in Arlington, Texas

ARLINGTON, Texas – On the occasion of the first World Series game ever played in these parts, where the first pitch was thrown by Nolan Ryan, where the conversation topic was Cliff Lee, and where the search party finally got a lead on Neftali Feliz, the name folks were chanting by the end was none of those.

It was the guy from Japan.

Colby Lewis had pitched here before, of course. He’d won a few games, but mostly was forgettable by the time he left, and shortly after that he’d become known as the guy who went to Japan.

It’s funny how these little moments of adoration come along.

The Texas Rangers had won over the small parts of the locals’ hearts and minds that didn’t already have blue stars stamped on them, when a week earlier they’d knocked off the New York Yankees.

Just as the party was settling down, however, Lee got himself beat and the Rangers lost twice in San Francisco and this World Series they’d waited their whole lives to see was a Saturday night loss from being over before the steel guitar had tuned up.

So, the prattle turned – over 13 months, for about the sixth time (or the number of playoff series Lee has pitched in) – to Lee pitching on three days rest in order to save the indignity of a sweep, you know, if things went horribly wrong again. Ron Washington fanned the speculation by skipping around the questions, and just as everybody was rounding up the anxiety posse, the Rangers handed the baseball to the guy from Japan, allowing Washington to announce afterward, “As far as I was concerned, Tommy Hunter always had the start tomorrow. He’ll start tomorrow.”

Lewis was just that good, again.

In four postseason starts, he’s beaten the Yankees twice, won three games, held his ERA to 1.71 and saved the Rangers’ World Series dream. That’s pretty good work for a 31-year-old right-hander who once couldn’t stick in the league and needs a running start to get his fastball to 91 mph, but has developed masterful control, brilliant game plans and an unyielding determination to stick with them both. If it bothered him at all that enough people had leapt right over his start and to the prospects of an oh-three hole, he wouldn’t say so.

He took the ball for Game 3. For 6 1/3 innings, the closest a Giants hitter got to third base was jogging back to the dugout after grounding out. By the eighth inning, the appreciation for the guy from Japan had grown so much the largest crowd in Rangers Ballpark history was chanting his name to the heavens. Of course, at about that time, Andres Torres popped a fly ball that cleared the right-field fence by the width of Washington’s fluttering heart, but the moment did not fade.

On the verge of November, in the franchise’s most important game to date, the man who won their hearts went by the name of “Col-BEE! Col-BEE!”

“Yeah, it’s definitely gratifying,” said the guy who’d earned it. “I’m thankful for the Rangers. It’s just a situation where I’m super happy. To have the ball in the World Series, it’s just really cool. I don’t know what else to say.”

While he said it, he smiled so hard small dimples formed on his cheeks, matching the forehead indentation left by his ball cap.

He’d struck out Pat Burrell(notes) three times, all on sliders. He threw all of seven pitches to Giants designated hitter Pablo Sandoval and got four outs out of them. Including the requisite postseason Cody Ross home run, the last five hitters in the Giants’ lineup combined for one hit. And at a time when the Rangers’ bullpen is running a tad cold, Lewis took the ball to within one out of Feliz. Darren O’Day got that one – he induced a grounder from Buster Posey in the sole tenuous moment of the game for the Rangers.

With all that, Lewis had put the Rangers and this city back in the World Series, you know, for at least another 24 hours.

He was just that good, winning for the third consecutive start that followed a Rangers loss. So how comfortable would they be if the series went seven games? Lewis would get that start, while the Giants presumably would have lefty Jonathan Sanchez, who was erratic again.

“He knows what he has to do,” Washington said. “He executes. And more than anything else his command is what it’s all about. … And it was quite important for us tonight because we needed a well-pitched job.”

Yes, they needed all of it. They needed someone to convince the Giants their offense isn’t all that. They needed someone to finish like he started. And they needed this town to keep believing, while there was still something to believe in.

They needed the guy from Japan. The name is Colby

 Game 4

Sunday, October 31, 2010 — 8:20 p.m. (EDT) at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington in Arlington, Texas

 Game 5

Monday, November 1, 2010 — 7:57 p.m. (EDT) at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington in Arlington, Texas

Game 5 was a pitching rematch of Game 1 between former Cy Young Award winners Cliff Lee and Tim Lincecum. Down 3-1 in the series, the Rangers needed a win in their ballpark to send the series back to San Francisco or the Giants would return home as champions. What resulted was the pitching duel anticipated in Game 1. Both Lee and Lincecum pitched six shutout innings, with Lincecum having allowed only two hits and Lee three. In the top of the seventh inning, Cody Ross and Juan Uribe singled back to back to put two runners on with no outs. The next Giant batter, Aubrey Huff, who had never laid down a bunt in his Major League career, successfully executed a sacrifice bunt, one where only a quick play by Lee prevented Huff from reaching base himself. Runners were now at second and third base for Pat Burrell. Lee struck out Burrell, preventing any run from scoring. There were now two outs for Giants shortstop Edgar Rentería, who had 13 years previous hit a walk-off single in Game 7. His two years with San Francisco had been considered a major dissapointment, marred by injuries and slumps, but here in the World Series Renteria proved an unlikely hero as he launched a home run to left center field to put the Giants ahead 3-0.

Texas was not quite finished though. With one out in the seventh, Nelson Cruz gave the Ranger faithful hope as he blasted a homer of his own, a solo shot that cut the deficit to 3-1. Seeming rattled, Lincecum walked the next batter, Ian Kinsler, to bring the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh. However, the two-time Cy Young winner recovered his composure and struck out the next two Texas batters to end the threat.

In the bottom of the eighth Lincecum, now back in cruise control, pitched a scoreless inning. Rangers closer Neftali Feliz entered the game and pitched a scoreless top of the eighth and ninth, keeping the score 3-1. Brian Wilson, the Major League saves champion, relieved Lincecum in the bottom of the ninth. The heart of Texas' order batted in a last gasp for the Rangers. Wilson struck out Josh Hamilton looking, got Vladimir Guerrero to ground out to the shortstop, and finally struck out Nelson Cruz swinging to bring the Giants their first World Series in San Francisco and first for the franchise since 1954.

 Game 6 (If necessary)

Wednesday, November 3, 2010 — 7:57 p.m. (EDT) at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California

 Game 7 (If necessary)

Thursday, November 4, 2010 — 7:57 p.m. (EDT) at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California

The 2010 World Series will be the 106th edition of Major League Baseball's championship series. The best-of-seven playoff will be played between the American League champion Texas Rangers and the National League champion San Francisco Giants, and is tentatively set to begin on Wednesday, October 27. Unless the series is a sweep and there are no weather delays, the series will go into November for the second year in a row, but just the third time ever. The latest possible ending of the series is scheduled for November 4, barring weather delays. In their respective league championship series, the Rangers and Giants eliminated the 2009 World Series teams, the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies, to advance. Interestingly, the Rangers and Giants met in Major League Baseball's first regular season interleague game on June 12, 1997.

The Rangers' advancement marks the first time that the franchise has appeared in the World Series in its 50 year history; its 90–72 regular season record was the lowest among playoff participants. The Giants' victory over the Phillies gave them their fourth World Series appearance ever since relocating to San Francisco before the 1958 season; their most recent appearance was in the 2002 World Series, when they lost to the Anaheim Angels in seven games.

The National League will have home field advantage in the World Series for the first time since 2001, as the NL won the All-Star Game 3–1 on July 13.

Minnesota Twins
Good Luck in 2011

World Series
1903 - 2010