Rangers Win, Rangers Win!!

So the ALDS between the Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers was by far one of the best Division Series' in the postseason this year. The Texas Rangers took Games 1 and 2 in Tampa, then the Rays came back and took Games 3 and 4 in Texas. So both teams weren't able to get things done at home and that would set up a Game 5 in Tampa and a rematch of Game 1 between pitchers David Price and Cliff Lee. This game was a low scoring game that would set up for an excited finish but for only one team and that team was the Texas Rangers. The score was 3-1 Rangers heading into the top of 9th inning when Ian Kinsler would hit a 2 run home run to put the Rangers up 5-1 and that's how it would end. David Price would yet again be the losing pitcher in Game 5 going 6 innings, gave up 8 hits, 3 earn runs, 6 strikeouts, and threw 104 pitches. Cliff Lee on the other side is a whole different story being the winner in both Games 1 and 5, Lee pitched a complete game, gave up 6 hits, 1 earn run, 11 strikeouts, and threw 120 pitches. The guy is just that good and to think this is his second time in his career that he's pitching in the postseason is just not fair. Cliff Lee this year in the postseason has an ERA of 1.13, overall ERA of a 1.44. Lee has 6 wins in 7 starts, 4 wins in 5 starts with the Phillies last year, and 2 wins with the Rangers, hats off to the Tampa Bay Rays who had an outstanding year winning their second division title in three years in a tough American League East division.


So the Texas Rangers beat the American League East Champions, the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night by a score of 5-1 and won their first ever postseason series in team history. The Texas Rangers have always been a laughing team in baseball and were never really that good. They got to the postseason three times before the 2010 season and lost in the ALDS to the 96' Yankees, 98' Yankees, and 99' Yankees. All three of those Yankee teams won the World Series and this time around the Texas Rangers will move on to the ALCS for the first time and play who else the New York Yankees only this time they have number one starting pitcher who has faced them and has owned them in his career and that's Cliff Lee. The Texas Rangers got Lee during the trade deadline this year and boy he helped out this team big time helping the Rangers win their first AL West Division title since 1999. The Rangers almost remind me off the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays a team that went from worst to first and now have a name for themselves in the American League and are no longer a push over but also remember the Rangers have to get pass a team that has been there and done that. The 27 time World Series Champion New York Yankees know what it's like to play on the big stage and for the Texas Ranger well they are about to find out what it's like to play in a big stage game.


Yes the Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Rays but the Rangers still have a few more steps to go and if they get to 2010 World Series it won't get an easier playing against the San Francisco Giants or the Philadelphia Phillies. That's one match up that many sports writer would like to see Roy Halladay vs. Cliff Lee, the best right handed pitcher vs. the best left handed pitcher, Halladay the guy who replaced Lee in Philadelphia. A match up that goes above and beyond baseball, a match up that scares me when I think about it, a match up that the baseball God's would like to see. Lee coming back to Philly out on a mission to win a World Series title and to prove that you should have never gotten rid of me because I will only come back to haunt you. Roy Halladay on the other hand is on a mission like no other and that's to win a World Series title as well and I'm sure if the Phillies get there he won't worry about anything else but the problem at hand. Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee are by far the two aces you want on your team and to think that the Phillies almost had that one - two punch in Philly almost amazes me but in the end it wasn't meant to be. Instead we got the H2O combo in Philly Halladay, Hamels, and Oswalt, once again, congrats to the Texas Rangers on beating the Tampa Bay Rays and good-luck in the ALCS against the New York Yankees.