Giants crush Rangers to clinch World Series after 56 years (Part 2)
The San Francisco Giants were always going to be the favourites heading into the World Series 5th game. The Texas Rangers were 1 – 3 in the competition and their defeat in the next game could have spelled out an exit
and a concession of the World Series title bid. That was the dynamic situation that arose from the contest in the main event. The two sides were meeting in the Rangers Ballpark for the bout and it seemed like something could be done to avail the right result
from the fixture as the clubs’ top pitchers met out in the field to go head to head in the contest.
The Giants brought on Tim Lincecum and given the situation in the series, it was perfect for the 26 year old ace man to come in and do what was needed to end the competition there and then, in front of an opposing team’s fan base.
The stage was set for a series clincher and Lincecum was used to the pressure of facing the veteran Cliff Lee of the Rangers. Tim had all the time to perfect his pop outs and fast balls. The number 1 draft pick from 2006 had a supportive team to play for
and his contribution to the side had already done enough to get the team through to the World Series.
Lincecum had been the 1st ranking pitcher to strike out the most hitters in the National League and he wasn’t going to stop in the playoffs either. During the regular season, the strong right arm ball thrower took out
a whooping 231 batters. He maintained a low Earning Runs Average (ERA) of 3.43 and that meant the maestro was up to the errand of making the rivals quiver on their plate. He took out 33 batters in the post season before the 5th game and this gave
him a superior edge over his rivals. Tim allowed 10 runs in the process, but that did not change the fact that his ERA rarely went above 4.
Cliff Lee was the man to return for the Texas Rangers and it always was going to be a hard contest between him and Lincecum. The ace pitcher, who had been followed by rumours of being linked to the New York Yankees, was coming
out again to face Tim and rectify the mistakes he made in Game 1 of the World Series. The 32 year old veteran had been effective against most American League teams in the season and the post season. He had an ERA of 3.18 in the regular tenure and in addition
to that he maintained a strike out score of 185.
He lost 9 and won 12 out of the 28 games he started off in during the league season. However, his form peaked during the post season and it wasn’t an astonishing fact to see the player do the best against the top teams in the league.
He took care of the New York Yankees in the American League Championship and made an example of David Price, who was the premier pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays.
During the post season, up to the 5th game, Lee had amassed 41 strike outs to his figures. His first three games saw 34 and it came at the cost of some high hitting batting orders that prevailed in the League. In addition,
the maestro pitched 28.2 innings and thwarted just two walks in the process. He conceded 9 runs, overall and it seemed like he was a better pick against Tim Lincecum. The selection was crucial for manager Ron Washington. Lee had done so much for the team that
it seemed like there was no viable choice to pursue than having Cliff on the mound.
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