The opening game of the World Series was supposed to be a pitching duel but batters ruled supreme as the San Francisco Giants beat the Texas Rangers 11-7 to take an early lead in the best-of-seven series.

The Wednesday match-up of aces Cliff Lee of Texas and San Francisco’s Tim Lincecum left a final linescore that totalled 18 runs and 25 hits, including 10 doubles.

San Francisco made a shaky start and trailed 2-0 after the first inning.

But after multi-award winning singer Tony Bennett calmed the 43,601 capacity crowd at AT&T Park with a sweet rendition of "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" at the end of the first inning the Giants got back on track to claim the Fall Classic opener.

They dented Lee’s aura of invincibility with two runs in the third inning followed by a six-run outburst in the fifth.

Freddy Sanchez had three doubles among his four hits, while Juan Uribe hit a three-run homer off reliever Darren O’Day that capped the scoring in the fifth and made a winner of Lincecum.

Game Two will be in San Francisco on Thursday with Matt Cain, who has yet to yield an earned run in the postseason, starting for the Giants against C.J. Wilson of the Rangers.