Rangers beat the Giants, 4-2, for first World Series win

The first pick of the 1999 draft was a high school outfielder from North Carolina. The Texas Rangers used their top pick that year on a junior college pitcher from Bakersfield.

For Josh Hamilton and Colby Lewis, for so many years, the World Series was the least of their concerns. Hamilton struggled to overcome drug addiction. Lewis journeyed to Japan to save his career.

After more than a decade of detours, October glory is theirs.

Hamilton hit a home run, Lewis carried a shutout into the seventh inning, and we have a World Series after all.

The Rangers recorded the first World Series victory in franchise history. Lewis combined with Darren O’Day and Neftali Feliz on a five-hitter, with Hamilton and Mitch Moreland each delivering a home run in a 4-2 victory.

The Giants lead the series, two games to one, but they must wonder how to proceed should the series extend to the full seven games.

Jonathan Sanchez, who would be in line to start Game 7 for San Francisco, had his second consecutive poor postseason outing.

After failing to survive the third inning in the final game of the National League Championship Series, he failed to last five innings on Saturday. The Giants had Guillermo Mota warming in the bullpen as early as the third inning.

Madison Bumgarner, who starts Game 4 on Sunday, could start a possible Game 7 on short rest. Bumgarner worked in relief on two days’ rest in the NLCS.

Moreland hit a three-run home run in the second inning, putting the Rangers ahead to stay. The rookie first baseman, holding down a position that Chris Davis, Justin Smoak and Jorge Cantu could not this season, is batting .500 in the World Series and .341 in postseason play.

Hamilton, who lost three full seasons and most of a fourth in a well-chronicled battle with drug addiction, mashed a 426-foot home run in the fifth inning. In his first 10 at-bats of the World Series, the probable American League most valuable player had nine outs and one single.

Lewis took it from there, getting all but four outs of the first World Series game played in Arlington. He gave up two runs in 7 2/3 innings -- Cody Ross homered in the seventh; Andres Torres in the eighth -- with O’Day getting the last out of the eighth inning.

Feliz, the Rangers’ closer working for the first time in eight days, pitched a perfect ninth inning for the save.

Pat Burrell, the Giants’ left fielder, struck out in all four at-bats. He has nine at-bats in the World Series, with no hits and six strikeouts. He is batting .158 in postseason play, with 19 strikeouts in 38 at-bats.

The Rangers selected Lewis with the 38th pick of the 1999 draft, immediately after the Dodgers had picked outfielder Jason Repko. Lewis got to the major leagues in three years, won 12 games over the next three and then tore his rotator cuff.

He failed to stick with the Detroit Tigers as a starter or with the Oakland Athletics as a reliever. The Washington Nationals dumped him in spring training.

He pitched in Japan in 2008 and 2009, winning a strikeout title last year and attracting the attention of several major league clubs. The Rangers signed him. In his first start, he won his first major league game since 2004, when he last pitched for Texas.

The Rangers never had won a postseason home game until Lewis did, against the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series. The Rangers never had played a World Series home game until Saturday, and Lewis won.

bill.shaikin@latimes.com