By now all the collegietes across campus are aware that something’s going on with the Rangers. Classes are getting out early, boys are abandoning their lives for the games, and instead of facebook, espn is the backdrop of every computer screen. But what’s actually going on? Well ladies, the World Series is in town.
I’m going to assume you know nothing, so let’s start with the basics. The World Series, also called the Fall Classic, is the annual championship of Major League Baseball. It’s played between the American League champion, the Texas Rangers, and the National League Champion, the St. Louis Cardinals. The winner of the series is determined through the best of seven games.
The Rangers are returning to the World Series, after losing to the Giants 1-4 in 2010. They have an extremely strong team comprised of Michael Young, Josh Hamilton, Mike Napoli, and Nelson Cruz. The St. Louis Cardinals are entering the World Series for the first time since 2006 when they beat the Detroit Tigers 4-1. The Cards picked up Albert Pujols, an incredible hitter in October 2001 and he’s led their team to many wins. In the Game 3 of the 2011 World Series, he joined Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson as the only players to hit three homeruns in one World Series game.
The Cardinals won the first game 3 – 2 at the Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO. However, the Rangers came back to beat the Cards in Game 2; 2-1. The teams then moved to Rangers Stadium where the Cards swept the Rangers 16 – 7 in an incredible hitting game. The Rangers won Game 4 due to their pitcher Derek Holland who successfully shut out the Cards in a 4 – 0 win for Texas. The Rangers won Game 5, 4 – 2, in a sold-out stadium of 51,459 fans as Mike Napoli batted in two runs. The Rangers now lead the series 3 – 2 as the teams move back to St. Louis. The Rangers are now only one win away from their first World Series title.