I foresaw the Rangers' potent lineup slugging the pitching of the Giants, scoring enough runs to take control of games. I also thought their pitching would shut down a strangely shaped San Francisco offense.
But the funny thing about baseball is that when things go wrong, they go wrong in a hurry. And there's no correcting it in this game. Especially in the playoffs.
So when the Giants bombed Cliff Lee in Game 1, I figured things were going to end up strangely in this World Series. A pair of Vladimir Guerrero errors in the 8th inning allowed the Giants to blow the game open. Game 2 was a masterpiece for awhile between Matt Cain and CJ Wilson. Wilson left with a blister though, and Cain rolled on through the game, dominating the Rangers. Ian Kinsler missed a homer by fractions of an inch, barely missing a chance to take the lead. Instead, Edgar Renteria hit a go ahead homer, and the Rangers bullpen blew up in the 8th inning, leading to a 9-0 rout.
But there still was hope. Texas was headed home, where they got a three run homer by rookie Mitch Moreland, and another outstanding performance from Colby Lewis. With a victory, Texas had its sights on evening the series. Rookie Madison Bumgarner had other plans. He shut out the Rangers through 8 brilliant innings, proving why he's been considered a top prospect for the last several years. Then, tonight, it was a rematch of the aces. Cliff Lee versus Tim Lincecum, in the Rangers' last stand. It was a pitcher's duel through 6 innings, until Edgar Renteria struck again. A three run blast was all the Giants would need. Lincecum turned it over to closer Brian Wilson, who struck out Nelson Cruz to capture San Fran's first World Series since 1954.
This was a club whose starting 8 changed drastically over the year. By the end of the year, 7 of the 8 position players in the lineup weren't were they were on Opening Day. Buster Posey was called up to catch, leaving the Giants to trade incumbent Bengie Molina. Aubrey Huff was an Orioles castoff, who was the MVP of the club for much of the year. Freddy Sanchez was hurt at the beginning of the year, but the former batting title winner was solid down the stretch. Juan Uribe, who started at 2nd to start the year, ended up playing both shortstop (replacing Edgar Renteria) and third (replacing Pablo Sandoval). Former Cub Mike Fontenot played third down the stretch. Pat Burrell became the slugger in the heart of the lineup, after failing in Tampa. Andres Torres took over in center, and was the catalyst at the top of the order. Postseason hero Cody Ross wasn't even on the team until late August. Former World Series hero Edgar Renteria, who hit three total homers in the regular season, jacked two in the Series. He was up to his old tricks, like when he beat the Indians in Game 7 back in 1997 with an RBI single up the middle in the 11th inning. There were important bullpen pieces added in August, as they became the setup men. And how about the guy they were setting up? Brian Wilson? Talk about a misfit, with that beard and the mohawk. This was a group of players that many didn't want and didn't believe in.
They proved the whole world wrong.
The Texas Rangers were the story of this season and the postseason. They had so many things going on. Hamilton, Cliff Lee, the bankruptcy, finally winning a playoff series, and on and on. The Giants stole the headlines. They ripped the carpet right out from underneath Texas, and ran with it.
Pitching wins championships. That was no clearer than in this World Series, where Lincecum, Cain, and Bumgarner dazzled in the four wins.
Congratulations San Francisco. You've waited long enough for a winner.
Enjoy this one.
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