Baseball /Rangers rout Yankees to reach first World Series

Fireworks and confetti filled the Texas sky. A flag proclaiming the Rangers as the AL champions was raised high above the ballpark, whipping in the wind alongside more than three dozen Lone Star state flags.

And to make their first World Series berth even more satisfying, the Rangers earned it by beating the defending champion New York Yankees. The clincher was a 6-1 victory Friday night in Game 6 of the ALCS.

"Coming out of spring training, this team showed such a heart," said Rangers icon Nolan Ryan, the Hall of Fame pitcher who is the team president and a part-owner. "There were so many things going on, and they were just unbelievable."

The celebration erupted when former Ranger Alex Rodriguez took a called third strike from hard-throwing rookie closer Neftali Feliz.

The World Series begins Wednesday in either San Francisco or Philadelphia, and the first game in Texas will be next Saturday. Game 6 of the NLCS started last night after press time, with the Giants enjoying a 3-2 lead in the series.

Texas, which had never won a postseason series or a home playoff game before this year, dispatched the $200 million-plus Bronx Bombers with little drama - especially after a four-run outburst in the fifth inning snapped a 1-all tie. The Rangers showed the 27-time World Series champions something Ryan has brought them: a culture where pitching rules, and starters expect to go deep into games.

Colby Lewis dominated over eight innings for his second win of the series and Josh Hamilton earned the series MVP award. In a state where most sports fans gear up for fall weekends by watching high school football, the Rangers gave a new meaning to Friday Night Lights. "We are here as a group. This group is here because they don't know how to fail," Hamilton said.

Vladimir Guerrero, heading for baseball's biggest stage for the first time in his 15 major league seasons, drove in three runs before scoring on Nelson Cruz's homer in the fifth.

After Hamilton was given a free pass in the fifth, Guerrero followed with a two-out, two-run double that chased Yankees starter Phil Hughes. Cruz greeted reliever David Robertson with his fifth postseason homer, knocking it to one of the deepest parts of Rangers Ballpark.

Guerrero didn't have an RBI in the series until his grounder in the first drove home Elvis Andrus. The big hits by Guerrero and Cruz made it 5-1 again, but the Rangers wouldn't give up that lead the way they did in Game 1.

Long time coming

Now Ron Washington, their fourth-year manager, is taking Texas to the World Series, with ace left-hander Cliff Lee set to start Game 1 since he wasn't needed for a final game against the Yankees.

"Our fans have waited a long time, this organization has waited a long time," Ryan said. "This team coming out of spring training was on a mission."

Source:
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/sports/baseball-rangers-rout-yankees-to-reach-first-world-series-1.320806

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