World Series

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- The 106th World Series opens Wednesday pitting a team that has never been to baseball's championship series against one that hasn't won it since 1954.

The Texas Rangers, who hadn't won a playoff series prior to this season, head to San Francisco to take on the Giants, whose last world championship came in 56 years ago, in the best-of-seven World Series.

Texas, which had the fewest wins among the playoff teams this season, beat the Tampa Bay Rays in five games to reach the American League Championship Series, where they defeated the New York Yankees in six games. San Francisco won its division series in four games, getting by the Atlanta Braves, before eliminating the Philadelphia Phillies in six games in the National League Championship Series.

As is often the case in baseball's post-season, pitchers have been grabbing the most attention and none more than Wednesday's starters.

The Rangers will turn to Cliff Lee, who started Game 1 in the 2009 World Series for Philadelphia. Lee was traded in the off-season to Seattle and then in July to the Rangers. In his two seasons in the playoffs, Lee is 7-0 with a 1.26 earned run average. This year he's 3-0 with a 0.67 ERA.

Giants starter Tim Lincecum had won the National League Cy Young Award twice in his four seasons in the major leagues. He is 2-1 with a 1.93 ERA in the post-season.