My Second Texas World Series

 

As you know by now, the Texas Rangers lost the World Series to the band of misfits, the San Francisco Giants in five games. I got to cover my first World Series for MLB.com when the Astros were swept by Ozzie Guillen's Chicago White Sox in 2005. That first series was closer than most remember as all the contests were decided by one run. Things might have turned out different if our best two pitchers, Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte, had not been limited by a sore hamstring and rain on Chicago's South Side. Still, it became the first World Series played in Texas, and a lasting memory for all who attended.

Flash forward to 2010, and the Rangers were headed to the big show after beating the best two teams in the American League, Tampa Bay and the New York Yankees. The Giants won their division on the final day of the season to "sneak in" to the playoffs. Their bunch of rag-tag parts and stellar pitching defeated the defending champion Phillies to earn a trip to the Series. I am sure that FOX TV was hoping for a better marquee matchup to boost ratings. I was happy for the outcome, and the work it brought. Texas had no answer for the Giants pitchers who mostly silenced the bats of the leagues best hitting team.

Edgar Rentería, at age 35, was the unlikely hero with a three-run home run off ace Cliff Lee. It was the second World Series-winning hit of his career, having singled home the penultimate run for the Florida Marlins when he was a 21-year-old rookie. Thanks Edgar for this lasting memory and my second opportunity to visit a winning locker room while covered in plastic to shield my camera as best as possible from flying champagne.