Lane Thomas hit a three-run homer during a five-run inning before Detroit got an out, and the Cleveland Guardians showcased their strong bullpen to secure a 7-0 victory over the Tigers in the opening game of the AL Division Series on Saturday.
Thomas’ home run—his first swing in the postseason—helped the Guardians slow down the Tigers, who entered the playoffs after a strong second half and had just swept the AL West champion Houston in the wild-card round.
“It was electric,” said Thomas, who was traded from Washington at the deadline. “It was everything I had thought and more.”
Tanner Bibee pitched 4 2/3 innings before Guardians manager Stephen Vogt called in the team’s top bullpen to finish the game against the Tigers.
Cleveland’s relievers pitched 4 1/3 hitless innings to end the game, matching the largest shutout victory margin in the club’s postseason history. Detroit struck out 13 times and did not advance a runner past first base in the last four innings.
This shutout was the worst playoff loss for Detroit since Game 1 of the 1945 World Series.
“We’re going to see a lot of this bullpen,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “The more you look at them, hopefully, the more comfortable you get.”
Cleveland’s bullpen performed as expected. Rookie Cade Smith (1-0) came in for Bibee and struck out all four batters he faced. Tim Herrin pitched the seventh, Hunter Gaddis took the eighth, and Emmanuel Clase, who led the AL with 47 saves, closed out the ninth.
David Fry contributed with a two-run double for the AL Central champion Guardians, who didn’t seem affected by having almost a week off due to a first-round bye.
“We came out ready to swing the bat, and we looked like we didn’t take five days off,” Vogt said.
Game 2 is on Monday, with the Tigers planning to start Tarik Skubal, a top contender for the AL Cy Young Award, in an effort to even the best-of-five series.
The 2,327th game between Detroit and Cleveland was the first time these two teams, who are also Central division rivals, faced each other in the postseason.
The game seemed decided after just one inning.
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch has made smart choices for months as his young team went from below .500 at the trade deadline to making the playoffs with an impressive 33-13 record since August 11.
Hinch used his bullpen from the beginning in Game 1, but it did not work out well.
The Guardians sent nine batters to the plate in the first inning, with Thomas hitting a huge home run into the left-field bleachers, giving Cleveland a quick 5-0 lead. They became the first team in AL postseason history to score five runs before getting an out.
Steven Kwan started things off with a double against Tigers starter Tyler Holton (0-1), and David Fry walked. José Ramírez then hit a hard grounder to third base, but Zach McKinstry mishandled it, allowing Kwan to score.
“I tried to make a play and I didn’t. We ended up losing the game because of it,” said McKinstry, who also blamed the grounds crew. “They watered the field before the game, but they didn’t water it for the game and it took a weird hop.”
Josh Naylor’s RBI single made it 2-0, leading Hinch to pull Holton after just four batters and bring in Reese Olson.
Thomas, who had struggled with a .143 batting average and 33 strikeouts in 77 at-bats after joining the Nationals, made his first postseason at-bat with the Guardians unforgettable.
He hit Olson’s first pitch, a slider right down the middle, and sent it over the wall, thrilling the crowd of 33,548 fans at Progressive Field.
Bibee admitted to feeling nervous before the game, and he showed some nerves in the first inning, throwing 27 pitches.
However, taking the mound in the second with a five-run lead helped him relax. The right-hander allowed four hits and struck out six before passing the ball to Vogt and a bullpen that showed no weaknesses.
“I totally get it,” Bibee said. “With how good our pen has been, I get it. It makes sense. Obviously, I want to stay out there as long as possible, but I get it.”
