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'The big blast': Lane Thomas hits home run to lead Guardians over Tigers in ALDS opener
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- 'The big blast': Lane Thomas hits home run to lead Guardians over Tigers in ALDS opener
CLEVELAND — Lane Thomas wasted no time providing the power Saturday for the Guardians in Game 1 of an American League Division Series against the Detroit Tigers .
In his first playoff plate appearance, Thomas hit the first pitch he saw from Reese Olson 394 feet into the left field bleachers.
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Thomas' three-run home run capped a five-run first inning that propelled the Guardians to a 7-0 win before an excited sellout crowd of 33,548 at Progressive Field.
The Guardians became the first team in American League playoff history to score five runs to start a game without recording an out.
Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas reacts after hitting a three-run home run against the Tigers in the first inning in Game 1 of the ALDS, Oct. 5, 2024, in Cleveland.
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It was "Guards Ball" at its finest.
"It was electric," Thomas said of the crowd. "I think it was everything I had thought and more. It was really cool, you know, to watch the first four guys take unbelievable at-bats and then kind of come through for them there. It was cool."
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Tigers starting pitcher Tyler Holton faced four batters and did not record an out. Steven Kwan led off with a double off the fence in right-center field and David Fry walked. Jose Ramirez reached on an error and Kwan scored. Josh Naylor followed with a single that scored Fry.
"They came out hot," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. "Kwan gets the ball off the wall. But two things I think from a team standpoint, not even with Holton. I guess one part is, against this team, as good as they are and as much pressure as they put on you, extra bases and extra outs are really hard to overcome with as good as their lineup is, the way they can move the ball forward and put it in play.
"So, the walk to Fry sets up a really tough spot against Ramirez. Ramirez puts the ball in play, we get it on the ground and don't record an out, and then it just kind of spiraled there, and then Lane Thomas gets the big hit. When they punch you with five in the first, it's hard to overcome."
Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas (8) hits a three-run home run against the Detroit Tigers in the first inning in Game 1 of the ALDS, Oct. 5, 2024, in Cleveland.
Fry said he knew Kwan was "ready to go" in the leadoff spot.
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"He hit that double, and the crowd went nuts, and we were just hoping to kind of extend the inning and ended up getting it to Tommy, and he had a pretty good at-bat," said Fry, who capped the scoring with a two-run double in the sixth.
Thomas said he faced Olson earlier in the year before he was traded to the Guardians from the Washington Nationals .
"I thought in that situation that I was either going to get a fastball kind of in off the plate or something soft that I could hit in the air and at least score that run from third," Thomas said. "So, I kind of picked one or the other and got the one I was looking for and put a good swing on it."
Thomas' swing gave Guardians starting pitcher Tanner Bibee a nice cushion in his first postseason start.
Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas celebrates with teammates after hitting a three-run home run against the Detroit Tigers in the first inning in Game 1 of the ALDS, Oct. 5, 2024, in Cleveland.
"I was super excited," Bibee said. "I feel like with Lane, when he first got here, he had a little bit of a hard time. And then once he started figuring it out, I mean, he's been unbelievable. I mean, unbelievable in the clubhouse, unbelievable person, and unbelievable player. And I feel like when he hit that home run, I feel like everyone in the dugout was — yeah, you — everyone was super excited."
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Bibee pointed at Thomas when he said "yeah, you."
"Kwan goes out and sets the tone, and then it just worked from there," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said of the five-run first inning. "David worked an outstanding walk. We get the error, and Josh comes through with a huge second and third situation. Gets the base hit, executes with a runner on third and less than two outs, and Lane with the big blast.
"So, it was huge to get those runs on the board and kind of get some momentum and give Tanner some breathing room to go out and pitch well."
Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas (8) celebrates with Josh Naylor (22) and Jose Ramirez (11) after hitting a three-run home run against the Tigers in the first inning in Game 1 of the ALDS, Oct. 5, 2024, in Cleveland.
Bibee pitched 4⅔ shutout innings with six strikeouts and allowed four hits and a walk and hit a batter. Cade Smith struck out four in 1⅓ innings. Tim Herrin , Hunter Gaddis and Emmanuel Clase each pitched a scoreless inning.
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The pitching coupled with Thomas' blast gave the Guardians confidence heading into Game 2 at 4:08 p.m. Monday.
"Lane Thomas is a phenomenal player," Vogt said. "He has been in this league for a long time. Took him a little while to get his feet wet with us and get comfortable, but once he did he's been great. And hitting behind Naylz [ Josh Naylor ] has really provided a lot, and that was a really fun moment for him."
Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com and is on Twitter at @MBeavenABJ.
Guardians outfielders Lane Thomas (left) and Jhonkensy Noel jog off the field after defeating the Tigers in Game 1 of the ALDS, Oct. 5, 2024, in Cleveland.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians MLB playoffs: Lane Thomas home run versus Tigers
