Big third inning burst lifts Texas Rangers to World Series

Nine runs in the third with a pair of two-run doubles from Michael Young and a sixth Nelson Cruz home run of the post-season help the Rangers to their second American League championship.

Nelson Cruz celebrates as he jogs a round the bases in the seventh inning as Texas Rangers beat Detroit Tigers 15-5 to book their place in the World Series.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS // Nelson Cruz and the Texas Rangers are heading to their second straight World Series, finishing off the Detroit Tigers with a remarkable offensive burst to become the American League's first back-to-back champions in a decade.

Cruz set a post-season record with his sixth home run of the series, Michael Young hit a pair of two-run doubles in a nine-run third inning, and the Rangers romped to a 15-5 win that won the AL pennant in six games.

"It's very sweet," said Young, the Rangers' longest-serving player, in his 11th season. "We're happy we're going to the World Series right now. But we have a lot of work to do. Happy, but not satisfied."

They'll open the World Series on Wednesday night at St Louis or Milwaukee, seeking the first title in the history of a franchise that started in 1961.

Cruz had 13 RBIs in the series, another post-season record, and was selected the most valuable player.

"He was unbelievable," Adrian Beltre, his teammate, said. "Every moment we needed him, he came through."

Young, who also homered, had five RBIs in the finale, asked for a trade last winter but wound up staying and helped make sure the World Series will again be deep in the heart of Texas. Even the loss of Cliff Lee, who became a free agent and signed with Philadelphia, did not prevent a Rangers repeat.

Young caught Brandon Inge's game-ending pop out in short right field and pumped a right hand into the air signalling "No 1" while fireworks and confetti filled the sky, then ran toward the middle of the field to celebrate with his teammates.

Cruz threw both hands in the air and briefly knelt to a knee in the outfield before running to the infield, while a banner was unfurled high over centre field declaring the Rangers 2011 AL champions.

With George W Bush, the former US president, seated in the front row alongside Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan, part of the ownership group that took over the team last year, Ron Washington, the Rangers manager, was at the edge of the dugout wildly waving his arms and shouting encouragement to his players as the big inning unfolded.

All Tigers manager Jim Leyland could do was take off his cap and scratch his head.

A franchise that began as the expansion Washington Senators and moved to Texas in 1972 had failed to reach the World Series in their first 49 seasons. Then the Rangers won their first AL pennant last year only to lose the World Series to the San Francisco Giants in five games.

"As soon as the season began, we were hungry, we were hungry to get back," Elvis Andrus, the Rangers short stop, said.

Texas overcame a 2-0 deficit by sending 14 batters to the plate against the Detroit starter Max Scherzer (0-1) and three relievers in the highest-scoring post-season inning since 2002.

Alexi Ogando (2-0) pitched two scoreless innings for his second win in the series as the Rangers became the AL's first consecutive pennant winner since the New York Yankees won four in a row from 1998 to 2001.

While Young became only the fourth player in post-season history with two extra-base hits in the same inning — first a tying double into the left-field corner and then one down the right field line for a 9-2 lead — every batter in the Texas line-up reached base at least once before the third out of the third. By the time all the fireworks was over, the Rangers scored the most runs ever in a post-season game against the Tigers and the most in any post-season contest since the Yankees routed Boston 19-8 in Game three of the 2004 ALCS.

Also among the sell-out crowd of 51,508 was Dirk Nowitzki, MVP of the NBA finals won by the Dallas Mavericks in June.

Now the Rangers get another chance to bring another championship to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and go a step further than last season.

Young, in his 11th season in Texas, had played in 1,508 career regular season games before finally getting into the play-offs last year. He added a huge exclamation point to his already big night when he led off the seventh with a 416-foot homer to straightaway centrefield.

His five RBIs matched the Rangers post-season record set by Cruz in Game two.

Last winter, Young had requested a trade after the Rangers signed Beltre and acquired Mike Napoli, moves that led to Young becoming primarily a designated hitter and first baseman, a position he had never played. He had already been a starting second baseman and an All-Star at short stop and third base.

Young's two two-run doubles came in the highest-scoring inning in a post-season game since the Angels matched a play-off record with 10 runs in the seventh inning of Game five during the 2002 ALCS against Minnesota.

Texas' big inning started when Andrus drew a one-out walk and Josh Hamilton blooped an opposite-field single to left. After Young tied it, Beltre hit a go-ahead single under the leg of Scherzer, who was gone after consecutive walks to Mike Napoli and Cruz.

Cruz fought back from an 0-2 count for his walk. On a checked swing on a 2-2 pitch, Scherzer and Leyland both reacted in disbelief when first base umpire Tim Welke signalled no swing. When the next pitch was ball four, Cruz flipped his bat away and quickly clapped his hands.

David Murphy hit a two-run single off Daniel Schlereth, facing his only batter in his only appearance of the series. Game four starter Rick Porcello took over and pinch-hitter Craig Gentry reached on a fielder's choice as Murphy beat the throw to second. Ian Kinsler's two-run single made it 7-2, and Young's second double boosted the margin to 9-2.

When Ryan Perry finally induced Beltre to hit an inning-ending fly out, fans roared in anticipation of a World Series berth that would not be official for five more innings. Most wildly waved white rally towels, and another behind the Rangers dugout swayed a Texas state flag back-and-forth high in the air.

Detroit had already avoided elimination twice this post-season, winning Game five of the AL division series at Yankee Stadium and then extending the ALCS with a 7-5 win at home on Thursday.

Derek Holland allowed solo homers to Miguel Cabrera in the first and Jhonny Peralta in the second as Detroit, seeking their first Series title since 1984, tried to force a deciding Game seven.

"I don't think I've ever been prouder of a team than I am of this team," Leyland said. "They gave everything they had."