28 October 2010
The San Francisco Giants knocked off the Texas Rangers 11-7 before a home crowd Wednesday at AT&T Park in Game 1 of Major League Baseball's 2010 World Series. Ace starter Tim Lincecum overcame some early-game jitters to capture a win for the National league champions in the opener of this best-of-seven-game series. The two-time Cy Young pitching award winner allowed four runs on eight Texas hits in nearly six innings of work.
Giants manager Bruce Bochy said his team was proficient in batting and the pitchers stepped up when it mattered.
"We just clicked on all cylinders tonight," he said. "It took that because they had some good at-bats, too, and were fighting back to get in the game, but we held on."
San Francisco scored six runs in the fifth inning to break a 2-2 tie. The Giants batters rocked Rangers star pitcher Cliff Lee for five hits and two runs that chased him out of the game, and broke his streak of seven consecutive post-season wins for the American League pennant winners. Slugger Juan Uribe capped the Giants scoring spree with a three-run home run off relief pitcher Darren O'Day.
Freddy Sanchez had four hits, including three doubles and three RBI, to propel the Giants offense. The second baseman says his team found a way to get to Lee.
"I think we were able to put the bat on the ball today and find some holes," said Sanchez. "I think that is really what it boiled down to. Guys were able to try to step up and have good at-bats, and try to work the pitch count and put the ball in play."
In all, Lee allowed seven runs on eight hits before he left the mound in the fifth inning.
The Giants scored three more runs in the eighth inning, which gave them enough of a cushion to withstand the Rangers' rally of three-runs in the top of the ninth.
The San Francisco Giants are attempting to win their first Major League Baseball crown since 1954 - four years before the team moved west to California from New York City. The Texas Rangers are playing for the championship for the first time in the 50-year history of the franchise.
The Rangers may have their work cut out because history and statistics say the opening game winner has a 61 percent chance of going on to claim the World Series championship. That's what has happened in 11 of the last 13 World Series.
Texas outfielder David Murphy said it will be nice to win the next game in San Francisco, but it is not critical.
"Home field advantage has not mattered for us throughout most of the playoffs," Murphy said. "But, I mean, we are already down 0-1, so 1-1 is the best case scenario for us."
Game 2 of the World Series is Thursday in San Francisco.