VOA标准英语2010年-Surprise Teams Meet in Baseball's Worl

A pair of unlikely league champions begin their duel¹ for Major League Baseball supremacy² Wednesday night in San Francisco, as the National League champion Giants host the American League's Texas Rangers³ at AT&T Park (8pm EDT). Neither team was expected to make it to the 106th edition of baseball's World Series.

This year marks the first time in their 50-year franchise⁴ history the Texas Rangers have made it to the so-called Fall Classic. Since their inception⁵ as a replacement⁶ for the Washington Senators in 1961 - before moving to Texas 10 years later - the Rangers had never even won a playoff series until this year. Now after winning two playoff rounds this month they will become the fourth team in the past six seasons to be appearing in their first World Series.

For the Giants, it has been 56 years since they won their last World Series title in 1954, and that was when the franchise was based in New York, until moving across the country to San Francisco in 1958. That is the third longest wait in the basball's history, behind the Cleveland Indians' 62 years and the Chicago Cubs⁷, who have not won Major League Baseball's annual championship since 1908.

Neither team has had an easy path through the playoffs. Texas defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 in their best-of-five game divisional series, while San Francisco needed four games to get past the Atlanta Braves.

 
AP
Texas Rangers' Neftali Feliz pitches against the New York Yankees in the ninth inning of Game 6 of baseball's American League Championship Series in Arlington, Texas, 22 Oct 2010
In the best-of-seven League Championship Series, both teams needed six games to advance. The Rangers beat the defending World Series champion New York Yankees, while the Giants took the National League crown from the reigning⁸ champion Philadelphia Phillies. Giants outfielder Aaron Rowand says their pitching made the difference.

"Our pitching staff, in the bullpen, our starters, everybody did an unbelievable job," he said. "For them to do that and keep this team [the Phillies] down and give us the opportunity to win some games is unbelievable."

The Giants' starting pitching staff includes two-time reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum. It also boasts a strong relief corps⁹ anchored by closer Brian Wilson, whose 48 saves led the majors this season and tied the Giants' franchise record.

But the Rangers also have strong starting pitching, led by Cliff Lee. He has been practically untouchable in the playoffs with a 3-0 record and a stingy earned run average of just 0.75 (per nine innings pitched). And he has previous World Series experience, having won two games last season as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies against the World Series champion Yankees.

With both teams featuring great pitching, the Series could well come down to offense¹⁰, and there it appears Texas has the advantage. AL Championship Series Most Valuable Player Josh Hamilton hit for a .350 average with three home runs and seven runs batted in. The Rangers' line-up also features lead-off man Elvis Andrus, veteran slugger Vladimir Guerrero and long-time team star Michael Young. With Texas having little experience with the Giants pitchers¹¹, Young says they have to concentrate on their own strengths.

"I think the biggest thing for us is to make sure we stick with what we do well," he said. "Because as much as you can trust a scouting¹² report or something like that, most of us have little or no experience facing a lot of these guys. So it is going to be up to us to make sure we stick to what we do well."

Although the Giants batters¹³ cannot claim the star power of the Rangers, they have been getting it done with timely hitting from players throughout the lineup. Cody Ross, rookie catcher Buster Posey and Juan Uribe have all come through with key clutch hits, but 11 different players combined to score 19 runs during the National League Championship Series. Giants manager Bruce Bochy says his team has really come together.

"I've never had such a diversity of contribution from everybody like we have had this year," he said. "You know, we have been getting guys they have been called cast-offs and we have misfits, but to see them coalesce¹⁴ into a group that has one mission - they set aside their own ego¹⁵ or agenda."

And San Francisco has one other advantage - the ability to win the close ones. Seven of the Giants' 10 post-season games have been determined¹⁶ by one run, and they have won six of those contests.
 

1 duel   

n./v.决斗；(双方的)斗争

参考例句：

• The two teams are locked in a duel for first place.两个队为争夺第一名打得难解难分。
• Duroy was forced to challenge his disparager to duel.杜洛瓦不得不向诋毁他的人提出决斗。

2 supremacy   

n.至上；至高权力

参考例句：

• No one could challenge her supremacy in gymnastics.她是最优秀的体操运动员，无人能胜过她。
• Theoretically,she holds supremacy as the head of the state.从理论上说，她作为国家的最高元首拥有至高无上的权力。

3 rangers   

护林者( ranger的名词复数 )； 突击队员

参考例句：

• Do you know where the Rangers Stadium is? 你知道Rangers体育场在哪吗？ 来自超越目标英语 第3册
• Now I'm a Rangers' fan, so I like to be near the stadium. 现在我是Rangers的爱好者，所以我想离体育场近一点。 来自超越目标英语 第3册

4 franchise   

n.特许，特权，专营权，特许权

参考例句：

• Catering in the schools is run on a franchise basis.学校餐饮服务以特许权经营。
• The United States granted the franchise to women in 1920.美国于1920年给妇女以参政权。

5 inception   

n.开端，开始，取得学位

参考例句：

• The programme has been successful since its inception.这个方案自开始实施以来一直卓有成效。
• Julia's worked for that company from its inception.自从那家公司开办以来，朱莉娅一直在那儿工作。

6 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

7 cubs   

n.幼小的兽，不懂规矩的年轻人( cub的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lioness guarding her cubs 守护幼崽的母狮
• Lion cubs depend on their mother to feed them. 狮子的幼仔依靠母狮喂养。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 reigning   

adj.统治的，起支配作用的

参考例句：

• The sky was dark, stars were twinkling high above, night was reigning, and everything was sunk in silken silence. 天很黑，星很繁，夜阑人静。
• Led by Huang Chao, they brought down the reigning house after 300 years' rule. 在黄巢的带领下，他们推翻了统治了三百年的王朝。

9 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

10 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

11 pitchers   

大水罐( pitcher的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Over the next five years, he became one of the greatest pitchers in baseball. 在接下来的5年时间里，他成为了最了不起的棒球投手之一。
• Why he probably won't: Pitchers on also-rans can win the award. 为什麽不是他得奖：投手在失败的球队可以赢得赛扬奖。

12 scouting   

守候活动，童子军的活动

参考例句：

• I have people scouting the hills already. 我已经让人搜过那些山了。
• Perhaps also from the Gospel it passed into the tradition of scouting. 也许又从《福音书》传入守望的传统。 来自演讲部分

13 batters   

n.面糊（煎料）( batter的名词复数 )；面糊（用于做糕饼）；（ 棒球） 正在击球的球员；击球员v.连续猛击( batter的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The pitcher has beaned as many as three batters in this game. 在这？热？投手投球竟打中了三个击手的头。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• A storm batters the ship. 一场风暴袭击了这条船。 来自辞典例句

14 coalesce   

v.联合，结合，合并

参考例句：

• And these rings of gas would then eventually coalesce and form the planets.这些气体环最后终于凝结形成行星。
• They will probably collide again and again until they coalesce.他们可能会一次又一次地发生碰撞，直到他们合并。

15 ego   

n.自我，自己，自尊

参考例句：

• He is absolute ego in all thing.在所有的事情上他都绝对自我。
• She has been on an ego trip since she sang on television.她上电视台唱过歌之后就一直自吹自擂。

16 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。