SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2010 FRIDAY’SLATEGAME Rangers capture franchise’s first spot in World Series
Lewis shuts down Yankees; Guerrero hits key double
BY ADAM KILGORE
arlington, tex. — The differ- ence in pedigree between the Tex- asRangers andNewYorkYankees was apparent fromthe first pitch of the American League Champi- onship Series. Moments before theTBSbroadcastbeganthenight of Game 1, in an effort to incite fans before a national audience, thepublic address announcer bel- lowed: “Get your antlers up! It’s rally towel-waving time in Texas!” Minutes later, totheplate strutted Yankees leadoffhitterDerekJeter, the all-time leader in postseason hits and games played. Who, then,would have predict-
ed what unfolded over the next weekandendedFridaynight?The Rangers dominated the series from the outset and, aside from two blips, did not relinquish con- trol until they polished off the Yankeeswitha6-1victoryinGame 6beforeafrenziedcrowdof51,404 at Rangers Ballpark. The team once called the Evil Empire will takeitsMystiqueandAurabackto NewYork for thewinter.The fran- chise once knownas theWashing- ton Senators, for the first time, will go to theWorld Series. “People here have beenwaiting
39 years to fall in love,” Rangers owner Chuck Greenberg said. “But it happened.” At 10:09 p.m. Central time,
when Alex Rodriguez watched Neftali Feliz’s curveball for strike three, theRangers streamed from the dugout and pig-piled by the mound as red, white and blue confetti fellandPatGreen’s “ILike Texas” blared. They sprayed gin- ger ale on one another and cele- brated both the greatest moment in their history and a fittingALCS finale. They thrashed the defend- ing champs all week, and Friday nightwasno different. Colby Lewis, a member of the
Hiroshima Carp this time last year, pitched four no-hit innings and surrendered three hits to the mighty Yankees lineup in eight
one-run innings. Vladimir Guer- rero’s two-run double and Nelson Cruz’s two-run home in the fifth inning created the defining rally. TheRangers can fly a flag, leaving theWashingtonNationalsandthe SeattleMariners as the lone fran- chiseswithout a pennant. “I’m telling you,” second base-
manIanKinsler said, “we’re going to turnthis into a baseball town.” Trace it all the way back, and
the story of the 2010 AL champi- ons began in Washington, at the corner of Georgia Avenue and W Street NW, where Griffith Stadi-
um, in 1961,welcomed the second incarnation of the Washington Senators. They lasted 11 seasons before owner Bob Short’s incom- petencebroke somanyhearts and forced the teamtomove here. TheSenatorsbecame theRang-
ers, and before this fall they en- joyed an eccentric and undistin- guished history.One of their own- ers went on to become president of the United States. A home run bounced off Jose Canseco’s head. They won precisely one playoff game.Theirgreatestmomentmay havebeenthe timeNolanRyan, as
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a 46-year-old man, squared off against Robin Ventura, 26, in the middle of the diamond and beat the daylights out of him. As Ryan, now the team presi-
dent, watched frombehind home plate, all that changed this fall. They have managed to pair the best outfielder (Josh Hamilton) and the best left-handed pitcher (Cliff Lee) on the planet. They have a bedrock third baseman (Michael Young), an electric young shortstop (Elvis Andrus) and an underrated force in left field (Cruz).
ELSA/GETTY IMAGES Vladimir Guerrero helps top off the celebration at Rangers Ballpark after Texas eliminated the Yankees, 6-1, in Game 6 of the ALCS. Whenit ended,Hamiltonstood
on a podium and accepted the series MVP award. Not long ago, his life and career was nearly de- railedby a consumingdrug addic- tion.Hewas, in hiswords, “aman with no soul.” That he will now play in the World Series had not yet sunk inFridaynight. “All throughout the game, Iwas
tearing up,” Hamilton said. “ ‘Is this going to be it tonight?’ Think- ing about where I was and every- thing Iwent through.” In Game 6, the Rangers sent to the mound Lewis, a right-hander
who spent part of spring training 2007with theNationals,who, un- der the stewardship of Jim Bowden, released himon the day his son was born. Lewis pitched the past two seasons inJapan. This year,he isoneof fivepitch-
ers with multiple wins this post- season. Lewis struck out six Yan- kees, the samenumberhe allowed on base. His last batter was Jeter, who swung as if drunkenly swat- ting a fly to end the eighth inning. Fifty-thousand Rangers fans chanted hisname. The Yankees scored their lone
run and tied the game in the fifth with a controversial passed ball that, in fact, struckNick Swisher’s leg. The play scored Alex Rodri- guez andwill bringmore cries for expanded instant replay. The decisive bottomof the fifth
made it irrelevant.With aman on third and two outs, Manager Joe Girardi ordered an intentional walkofHamiltonsoHughescould instead faceGuerrero. “Big bad Vladdy,” Hamilton
said. “Every time I take my arm guard off and I look at Vlad, I can just see in his eyes, it’s going to happen.” Hughes hung a curveball with
his second pitch, and Guerrero, with his distinctively wild swing, scalded it to the gap in left-center to score both runners. As the crowd exploded, Girardi sum- monedDavid Robertson fromthe bullpen to face Cruz. Robertson fireda 1-2slider, andCruz crushed it to center field. Before the ball had even reached the warning track, the stadiumspeakers start- edblaringmusicandCruzpointed to the crowd. The two-run home sent theRangers up four runs. By closing the series in six
games, theRangerswill be able to start Lee inWorld Series games 1, 4 and 7 if necessary against either the San FranciscoGiants or Phila- delphiaPhillies, the teamLeewon two games for in last year’s Fall Classic. Until then, the Rangers can sit
back,watchandwait for theirnext moment to change their history. “Our goal is to win the World
Series,” Ryan said. “And now we have that opportunity. It’s in our hands.”
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kilgorea@washpost.com
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