The Cleveland Guardians have defeated the Detroit Tigers 7-3, moving on to the ALCS for the first time in eight years.
It was an incredible series, with phenomenal pitching and clutch hitting. The series needed to go five games and it certainly did.
The victory snapped the Guardians’ eight-game losing streak in a winner-take-all game. The last winner-take-all victory was against the New York Yankees in the 1997 ALDS.
Lane Thomas likes to swing on the first pitch. He hit a big grand slam in the bottom of the fifth inning to give the Guardians a 5-1 lead. The 29-year-old outfielder was 18-for-63 (.286) with a home run and nine RBI on first pitches this season.
The Guardians finally got to Tarik Skubal. The Tigers made a small rally in the ninth inning, but the Guardians bullpen held up its end. The Tigers scored two runs.
Emmanuel Clase recorded the final six outs. He avenged Kerry Carpenter by striking him out in the 8th inning. Carpenter hit a three-run homer off Clase in Game 2 in the ninth inning. Clase got the last hurrah in the battle.
Steven Kwan and Lane Thomas have been the Guardians’ most consistent hitters throughout this postseason.
Thomas had nine RBIs during this division series. The Guardians’ decision to acquire Thomas before the trade deadlines was a great decision.
While many complained and disagreed with the acquisition, Thomas has managed to silence the naysayers and it’s paying off dividends. This is a clutch mid-season pickup for the Guardians.
The rest of the lineup must step up in the next series.
The Guardians will face the Yankees in the ALCS. Their last ALCS matchup was in 1998 when the Yankees won the series 4-2. Their previous postseason matchup was in 2022 in the ALDS, which they also lost.
Guardians-Yankees series begins on Monday at 7:38 pm EST at Yankee Stadium.
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