CASPER
New member
The Texas Rangers are getting ready for their first World Series, and the opener will be at San Francisco, where their ace left-hander will be pitching after an extended break and also taking swings in the National League park, where the designated hitter isn't used.
Since the AL championship series didn't stretch to a Game 7, Lee will be starting on eight days' rest after striking out 13 Yankees and improving his postseason record to 7-0 with a 1.26 ERA in eight starts. The bullpen session was his second since that eight-inning outing.
"Make the adjustment and push it back a couple of days," Lee said. "It's not that big of a deal."
Lee starts a World Series opener for the second year in a row after winning Games 1 and 5 last year for Philadelphia against the Yankees.
"With Cliff Lee, I have no concerns about anything," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "He's not going to use nine days or 10 days for any reason why things may not go right, because in his mind it will always go right. And that's why he is what he is."
Last year, Lee had nine days off between his NL championship series start against the Los Angeles Dodgers and the series opener. He responded with a six-hitter, striking out 10 and walking none while allowing only an unearned run.
With the first two games in the NL city for the first time since 2001, usual DH Vladimir Guerrero likely will start only one of those games in the outfield.
"You can best believe we'll figure out a way to get Vlad in there," Washington said. "In the starting lineup some kind of way."
