ARLINGTON, Texas: The Texas Rangers reached the World Series for the first time after Vladimir Guerrero drove in three runs and Nelson Cruz homered in a 6-1 win over the New York Yankees in Game 6 of the American League championship series Friday. Colby Lewis dominated for his second win of the series and Josh Hamilton earned the ALCS most valuable player award. “The World Series is coming to Texas,” longtime Rangers infielder Michael Young said. “These fans have waited longer than we have. I know how bad we wanted it and they must have wanted it more.” When Alex Rodriguez took a called third strike to end the game, fireworks exploded in the sky high above, confetti filled the air and the Rangers embraced each other near the mound. Rangers icon Nolan Ryan, the Hall of Fame pitcher who is the team president and co-owner, embraced his wife in the front row before going on the field to join the team. “Our fans have waited a long time, this organization has waited a long time,” Ryan said. “This team coming out of spring training was on a mission.” Hamilton, who homered four times in the series, admitted he shed a tear in center field right before the final out. “We are here as a group. This group is here because they don't know how to fail,” Hamilton said. Cliff Lee was waiting if needed by the Rangers for a deciding Game 7 against the Yankees. Now the ace left-handed pitcher can get ready for Game 1 of the World Series, Wednesday night in either San Francisco or Philadelphia. The Giants lead the National League championship series 3-2. The Rangers, who had never won a postseason series or a home playoff game before this year, dispatched the $200 million-plus Yankees with little drama – especially after a four-run outburst in the fifth inning snapped a 1-1 tie. And that makes it even more satisfying for the Rangers and their fans since New York knocked Texas out of the playoffs in each of the club's three previous appearances. Derek Jeter is among several players remaining from those teams in the late 1990s and Rodriguez is among several former Rangers now wearing pinstripes. The Rangers outplayed the Yankees in every facet. Along with their slugging, they showed off something Ryan has brought them – a culture where pitching rules, and starters expect to go deep into games. “We didn't accomplish what we set out to. And as I told my guys, this hurts,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “I've been through it as a player. I've been through it as a coach and now I've been through it as a manager. It's not a lot of fun watching other teams celebrate. They beat us. They outhit us, they outpitched us, outplayed us and they beat us.” Moments after closer Neftali Feliz fanned Rodriguez for the final out, a flag proclaiming the Texas as the AL champion flapped above the ballpark. The Rangers celebrated on the field with ginger ale in deference to Hamilton's admitted substance abuse problems. Quite something for a franchise that began in 1961 as the Washington Senators. They moved to Texas in 1972 with Ted Williams as their manager. By reaching the World Series in the franchise's 50th season, the last 39 in Texas, it marks the longest it has taken a club to get there for the first time. Montreal/Washington (42 seasons) and Seattle (34) haven't yet made it. Ryan, whose only World Series as a player came for the 1969 New York Mets, was presented with the AL championship trophy after spending much of the game standing, clapping and hollering along with the rest of the raucous crowd of 51,404 fans. They rarely sat in the final innings, cheering wildly with each strike and screaming for every out that got their beloved team – the one that had the fewest wins in the regular season among the eight playoff teams – closer to the World Series. Chants of “Colby!, Colby!, Colby!” filled the air for the pitcher back with his original team after pitching the last two seasons in Japan, where he fully expected to finish his career before returning to Texas last winter. “I got a little too overamped when they were saying my name. It was really, really cool,” Lewis said. “I'm speechless. I never thought I'd be in this position.” Before going the full five games in the AL division series this season to beat Tampa Bay for their first-ever postseason series victory, the Rangers had been knocked out of the playoffs by New York in 1996, 1998 and 1999 – and the Yankees went on to win the World Series each time. When the Yankees overcame a 5-1 deficit in the ALCS opener a week ago for a 6-5 victory, their postseason winning streak over Texas had reached 10 games.
