Colby Lewis

The first pick of the 1999 draft was a high school outfielder from North Carolina. The Texas Rangers used their top pick that year on a junior college pitcher from Bakersfield. For Josh Hamilton and Colby Lewis, for so many years, the World Series was the least of their concerns. Hamilton struggled to overcome drug addiction. Lewis journeyed to Japan to save his career. After more than a decade of detours, October glory is theirs. Hamilton hit a home run, Lewis carried a shutout into the seventh inning, and we have a World Series after all. The Rangers recorded the first World Series victory in franchise history.

With the Texas Rangers one loss away from losing the World Series, their general manager said Monday he had no regrets about not asking ace Cliff Lee to start on short rest. San Francisco rookie Madison Bumgarner pitched eight scoreless innings Sunday, lifting the Giants to within one victory of a championship. Tommy Hunter, who started instead of Lee, lasted only four innings. "I'm not sure how many runs he was going to score off Bumgarner," Texas General Manager Jon Daniels said of Lee. The Rangers would need to extend the Series to seven games to win, but now Lee is not an option to start Game 7. He would have been had Texas arranged its World Series rotation with three starters.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- For 50 years, the franchise was the epitome of frustration and the butt of insiders' jokes. And now the Rangers have earned the last laugh with their first trip to the World Series after a thoroughly convincing 6-1 victory over the defending champion and playoff-proud Yankees in the American League Championship Series. The trip ends 39 years of franchise frustration in Texas, as well as 11 in Washington, and was the first time the Rangers could pour postseason champagne -- or, in the case of Josh Hamilton, Ginger Ale -- in their home clubhouse.

The first pick of the 1999 draft was a high school outfielder from North Carolina. The Texas Rangers used their top pick that year on a junior college pitcher from Bakersfield. For Josh Hamilton and Colby Lewis, for so many years, the World Series was the least of their concerns. Hamilton struggled to overcome drug addiction. Lewis journeyed to Japan to save his career. After more than a decade of detours, October glory is theirs. We have a Series after all. The Rangers recorded the first Series victory in franchise history, a 4-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants in which Hamilton hit a home run and Lewis carried a shutout into the seventh inning.

The first pick of the 1999 draft was a high school outfielder from North Carolina. The Texas Rangers used their top pick that year on a junior college pitcher from Bakersfield. For Josh Hamilton and Colby Lewis, for so many years, the World Series was the least of their concerns. Hamilton struggled to overcome drug addiction. Lewis journeyed to Japan to save his career. After more than a decade of detours, October glory is theirs. We have a Series after all. The Rangers recorded the first Series victory in franchise history, a 4-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants in which Hamilton hit a home run and Lewis carried a shutout into the seventh inning.

With the Texas Rangers one loss away from losing the World Series, their general manager said Monday he had no regrets about not asking ace Cliff Lee to start on short rest. San Francisco rookie Madison Bumgarner pitched eight scoreless innings Sunday, lifting the Giants to within one victory of a championship. Tommy Hunter, who started instead of Lee, lasted only four innings. "I'm not sure how many runs he was going to score off Bumgarner," Texas General Manager Jon Daniels said of Lee. The Rangers would need to extend the Series to seven games to win, but now Lee is not an option to start Game 7. He would have been had Texas arranged its World Series rotation with three starters.

NEW YORK VS. TEXAS Game 1: Friday, 5 p.m. New York ( CC Sabathia, 21-7, 3.18) at Texas (C.J. Wilson, 15-8, 3.35) Game 2: Saturday, 1 p.m. New York (Phil Hughes, 18-8, 4.19) at Texas (Colby Lewis, 12-13, 3.72) Game 3: Monday, 5 p.m. Texas (Cliff Lee, 12-9, 3.18) at New York (Andy Pettitte, 11-3, 3.28) Game 4: Tuesday, 5 p.m. Texas (Tommy Hunter, 13-4, 3.73) at New York ( A.J. Burnett, 10-15, 5.26)

The Texas Rangers vanquished two ghosts from their playoff past Saturday, grabbing their first home victory in 50 years as a franchise and ending a 10-game October losing streak to the New York Yankees. Not only did the Rangers convincingly win, 7-2, but if they really want to think big, Game 2 winners in the American League Championship Series have advanced to the World Series nine of the last 11 years. And all this after Friday's emotionally draining loss that put them in a hole.

If you're going to win a World Series, shouldn't you have a feared slugger at first base? No one ever played that role better than Lou Gehrig, although guys like Hank Greenberg, Eddie Murray and Tony Perez struck more than their share of fear in opposing pitchers and managers. More recently, Mark Teixeira, Ryan Howard, Albert Pujols and David Ortiz were middle-of-the-lineup first basemen for Series winners. Paul Konerko and Derrek Lee too, although only one of them in a way that made Chicago fans smile.

The Yankees have been where the Rangers are now and recently enough that many of them have much-too-vivid memories of it. It was the 2004 American League Championship Series and the Yankees had what appeared to be a comfortable three-games-to-one lead over the Red Sox after losing Game 4. But the ultimate result became one of the darkest moments in the Yankees' long and mostly proud postseason history. The Red Sox went on to the World Series. Well on Wednesday, the Yankees began to climb out of their self-dug hole with a 7-2 victory over the Rangers in Game 5 of the ALCS.

The first pick of the 1999 draft was a high school outfielder from North Carolina. The Texas Rangers used their top pick that year on a junior college pitcher from Bakersfield. For Josh Hamilton and Colby Lewis, for so many years, the World Series was the least of their concerns. Hamilton struggled to overcome drug addiction. Lewis journeyed to Japan to save his career. After more than a decade of detours, October glory is theirs. Hamilton hit a home run, Lewis carried a shutout into the seventh inning, and we have a World Series after all. The Rangers recorded the first World Series victory in franchise history.

If you're going to win a World Series, shouldn't you have a feared slugger at first base? No one ever played that role better than Lou Gehrig, although guys like Hank Greenberg, Eddie Murray and Tony Perez struck more than their share of fear in opposing pitchers and managers. More recently, Mark Teixeira, Ryan Howard, Albert Pujols and David Ortiz were middle-of-the-lineup first basemen for Series winners. Paul Konerko and Derrek Lee too, although only one of them in a way that made Chicago fans smile.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- For 50 years, the franchise was the epitome of frustration and the butt of insiders' jokes. And now the Rangers have earned the last laugh with their first trip to the World Series after a thoroughly convincing 6-1 victory over the defending champion and playoff-proud Yankees in the American League Championship Series. The trip ends 39 years of franchise frustration in Texas, as well as 11 in Washington, and was the first time the Rangers could pour postseason champagne -- or, in the case of Josh Hamilton, Ginger Ale -- in their home clubhouse.

Reporting from Arlington, Texas For nearly 50 years, the franchise was the epitome of frustration and the butt of insiders' jokes. And now it has earned the last laugh with its first trip to the World Series after a convincing 6-1 victory over the defending champion and playoff-proud New York Yankees in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series. The trip ends 38 years of franchise frustration in Texas, as well as 11 in Washington; Friday was the first time the Rangers could pour postseason champagne ?

The Yankees have been where the Rangers are now and recently enough that many of them have much-too-vivid memories of it. It was the 2004 American League Championship Series and the Yankees had what appeared to be a comfortable three-games-to-one lead over the Red Sox after losing Game 4. But the ultimate result became one of the darkest moments in the Yankees' long and mostly proud postseason history. The Red Sox went on to the World Series. Well on Wednesday, the Yankees began to climb out of their self-dug hole with a 7-2 victory over the Rangers in Game 5 of the ALCS.

The Texas Rangers vanquished two ghosts from their playoff past Saturday, grabbing their first home victory in 50 years as a franchise and ending a 10-game October losing streak to the New York Yankees. Not only did the Rangers convincingly win, 7-2, but if they really want to think big, Game 2 winners in the American League Championship Series have advanced to the World Series nine of the last 11 years. And all this after Friday's emotionally draining loss that put them in a hole.

NEW YORK VS. TEXAS Game 1: Friday, 5 p.m. New York ( CC Sabathia, 21-7, 3.18) at Texas (C.J. Wilson, 15-8, 3.35) Game 2: Saturday, 1 p.m. New York (Phil Hughes, 18-8, 4.19) at Texas (Colby Lewis, 12-13, 3.72) Game 3: Monday, 5 p.m. Texas (Cliff Lee, 12-9, 3.18) at New York (Andy Pettitte, 11-3, 3.28) Game 4: Tuesday, 5 p.m. Texas (Tommy Hunter, 13-4, 3.73) at New York ( A.J. Burnett, 10-15, 5.26)