Description
The 2010 World Series was the 106th edition of Major League Baseball’s championship series.The best-of-seven playoff, played between the American League champions Texas Rangers and the National League champions San Francisco Giants, began on Wednesday, October 27, and ended on Monday, November 1. The Giants won the series 4–1 to secure their first World Series championship since 1954 and their first since relocating to San Francisco from New York City in 1958.
In their respective League Championship Series, the Rangers and the Giants eliminated the 2009 World Series teams—the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies—each in six games. The Rangers’ victory in the ALCS gave the franchise its first World Series appearance in its 50-year history, dating from their inauguration as the second Washington Senators club in 1961. Meanwhile, the victory in the NLCS gave the Giants their fourth World Series appearance since moving to San Francisco prior to the 1958 season; their most recent appearance had been in the 2002 World Series, when they lost to the Anaheim Angels in seven games. Coincidentally, the Giants and Rangers faced off in the first regular-season interleague game, on June 12, 1997, at the Ballpark in Arlington; current Ranger reliever Darren Oliver, in his first stint with the club, threw the game’s first pitch.
The Giants were the first National League champions to have home-field advantage since 2001, because the NL won the All-Star Game 3–1 on July 13. For the second consecutive year, Series games were scheduled for earlier start times in hope of attracting younger viewers. First pitch was just before 8:00 p.m. EDT for most games, with Game 3 starting at 7:00 p.m. EDT as part of a “family night” promotion and Game 4 starting at 8:20 p.m. EDT to accommodate Fox’s NFL coverage.
San Francisco landmarks, such as Coit Tower, the Ferry Building, and San Francisco City Hall, were illuminated with orange lighting at night during the postseason. An exclusive VIP party was held on the eve of the World Series at the California Academy of Sciences (in Golden Gate Park); most media were not allowed near the event.San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom made a friendly wager with Arlington mayor Robert Cluck, agreeing that “the losing city’s mayor will travel to the winning city and join the winning city’s mayor in a day of support for local youth and community service initiatives, with both mayors wearing the jersey of the World Series Champion team.” With three games slated in Arlington, this marked the 5th time the same city hosted both a World Series game and the upcoming Super Bowl(Los Angeles 1966–67, Minneapolis 1991–92, Atlanta 1999–2000, Tampa 2008–09).
