In what was one of the most unlikely World Series match-ups, the San Francisco Giants and the Texas Rangers squared off for a chance to accomplish firsts in their respective franchise histories. The Giants were competing to win their first World Series since relocating from New York in 1958; the Rangers were competing for the first crown in franchise history.

Both teams came into the series with solid numbers on both sides of the baseball spectrum. The Rangers boasted a high-octane offense that scored 787 runs in the regular season, while the Giants featured a dominant pitching staff with a league-low 3.36 team Earned Run Average (ERA)–– even with an “off” year from staff ace Tim Lincecum.

This year’s World Series surprises from beginning

The series put a bow on what has been an entertaining, and oftentimes surprising, baseball postseason. The playoffs began with a no-hitter by the dominating Roy Halladay, followed the next day by a 12 strike-out effort by Lincecum. And as a portent of things to come, the Giants pitching continued to mow past their opponents with uncanny ease. Meanwhile, the Rangers continued their offensive onslaught, rampaging past the Rays and Yankees.

Series matches pitching against hitting

So when these two teams met in the World Series, it was mano-a-mano–– great pitching against great hitting. And as is almost always the case in Major League Baseball, great pitching beat great hitting. Game 1 saw a potentially classic pitching match-up between Rangers ace Cliff Lee and Lincecum turn into an 11-7 slugfest that the Giants ended up winning in San Francisco.

The Giants would go on to dominate Game 2 behind Matt Cain and the revived bat of veteran shortstop Edgar Renteria, who led the team to a 9-0 beating.

Giants pitch their way to victory

Figuring a return home would revive their offense, the Rangers took Game 3 with a final score of 4-2. But from there, it became apparent that the Rangers were in for a struggle, looking overmatched with the Giant’s high-quality pitching in every game. The Giants steamrolled past the next two games–– 4-0 in Game 4 and 3-1 in the decisive Game Five.

Pitching was the story of the series, and it was the story of the final game, as Lincecum outdueled Lee for the title win. The Giants also proved they had pop in their bats, as Renteria homered off Lee to provide the decisive three runs en route to copping the series MVP award. And for the Giants’ faithful, it has been well worth the wait.