[新聞] Ten-gallon splat: SF knocks Texas off a Cliff
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Ten-gallon splat: SF knocks Texas off a Cliff
By Chris Haft / MLB.com | 10/27/10 11:35 PM ET
SAN FRANCISCO -- A pitchers' duel on paper turned into a slugfest on the
diamond, as the San Francisco Giants stunned Cliff Lee and the Texas Rangers,
11-7, in Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday night at AT&T Park.
The National League champions took their initial step toward ending the
franchise's 55-year World Series drought by stunning the Rangers with eight
unanswered runs, including six in the fifth inning.
In the seventh matchup of Cy Young Award winners in a postseason series
opener, San Francisco right-hander Tim Lincecum improved to 3-1 in this
postseason despite yielding four Texas' runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Texas left-hander Cliff Lee, who entered the game with a 0.75 ERA, was
charged with seven runs (six earned) in 4 2/3 innings and absorbed his first
postseason defeat in four decisions.
Juan Uribe, whose eighth-inning homer provided the winning run in last
Saturday's clinching victory of the NL Championship Series at Philadelphia,
pounded a three-run homer to punctuate the Giants' big fifth that broke a 2-2
tie.
More importantly from the Giants' perspective, their offensive outburst
propelled them toward the ultimate triumph they seek. The Game 1 winner has
proceeded to win the World Series in 11 of the last 13 years, including six
of the past seven.
"It gives us a lot of confidence," second baseman said Freddy Sanchez said.
"We already believed in ourselves, but even more after putting some runs on
the board and taking some pressure off our pitchers. That was the most
important thing."
The Giants seemed determined to continue that trend. Their free-swinging
tendencies worked to their advantage against Lee, a strike-throwing machine
who gave San Francisco plenty to hit. Lee's vulnerability was particularly
evident during the Giants' fifth-inning rally, as they scored all but one of
their runs with two outs.
With one out, Andres Torres launched the uprising by doubling to left field.
He scored on Sanchez's third double of the evening, which set a World Series
record and ended Lee's 16-inning postseason scoreless streak.
"I just tried to put the ball in play against him," Sanchez said about facing
Lee. "We know he throws a lot of strikes, and I was able to find some holes.
"[A World Series record] didn't even cross my mind. I'm just glad I was able
to help the team put some runs on the board, and the most important thing is
the 'W.'"
After Sanchez's double, Lee retired Buster Posey on a called third strike,
but Pat Burrell walked on a 3-2 pitch to prolong the inning. NLCS Most
Valuable Player Cody Ross singled to center on Lee's 100th pitch of the game,
delivering Sanchez. Burrell hustled home as Aubrey Huff also singled. Since
Huff's left-handed-batting brethren had entered the game 2-for-25 off Lee in
this postseason, that spurred Texas manager Ron Washington to replace his ace
with sidearmer Darren O'Day.
Up came Uribe, who O'Day retired in their only regular-season confrontation.
It didn't matter. Uribe drove a 2-0 pitch into the left-field seats,
thrilling the heavily pro-Giants audience that packed AT&T Park. It was the
Giants' highest-scoring Series inning since they also amassed six in Game 4
against the Yankees in 1937.
A weird first inning began uncomfortably for Lincecum, who yielded Elvis
Andrus' single on the game's third pitch before walking Michael Young on a
full-count delivery.
After Josh Hamilton's dribbler to first base advanced the runners, Vladimir
Guerrero slapped a grounder up the middle that Lincecum apparently tried to
deflect by kicking it. He indeed changed the ball's course, but not
successfully. It caromed off the inside of his left knee and trickled toward
the right side of the infield, scoring Andrus and moving Young to third base.
Nelson Cruz tapped a swinging bunt toward third base that Lincecum quickly
grabbed. Since Young had strayed toward home, Lincecum appeared primed to
throw him out easily and perhaps could have tagged him out himself. But he
inexplicably held the ball as he chased Young back toward third base and let
him arrive there safely, though Uribe and Edgar Renteria both stood near the
bag awaiting a throw.
That loaded the bases, but Lincecum and the Giants escaped as Ian Kinsler
grounded into an inning-ending double play.
More sloppiness helped the Rangers add a second-inning run. Ex-Giant Bengie
Molina, looking as if he knew exactly what he was doing, led off by lining an
opposite-field single to right. One out later, Molina moved to third as Lee
faked a bunt, pulled back his bat and doubled to right-center. It was the
first World Series double by an American League pitcher since 1997, when
Cleveland's Chad Ogea recorded one in Game 6.
Andrus' fly to center field scored the ponderous Molina, who capitalized on
Andres Torres' throw that veered high and wide beyond the right-handed
batter's box.
The Giants recovered from their shaky start to pull even in the third. Young
fumbled Renteria's grounder for an error. Continuing his shaky night,
Lincecum popped up a sacrifice-bunt attempt. But after Lee nicked Torres with
a pitch, Sanchez seized upon that lapse by lining his second double, a bolt
into the left-field corner that scored Renteria and moved Torres to third.
Posey's single to left-center delivered Torres, but Sanchez's first step was
back toward second, so he advanced only to third. Lee escaped by slipping
called third strikes past Burrell and Ross.
Chris Haft is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the
approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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