CLEVELAND — It was a perfect afternoon for postseason baseball at Progressive Field, and Guardians fans had waited long enough.
Cleveland had earned a coveted first-round bye, bypassing the harrowing wild-card round, but also an additional five days for fans to anticipate the unmatched feeling of cheering on their team in October. A healthy contingent of Tigers supporters were scattered throughout the venue on Saturday, eager to see if their squad could stay hot after taking down the Astros on the road.
This day, though, would be all about the home team. Any concerns about Cleveland starting slowly due to the extended layoff — one that became even longer than expected after Game 162 vs. Houston was rained out — were squashed before the Tigers had even recorded an out in the Guardians’ eventual 7-0 victory in Game 1 of this ALDS.
Steven Kwan drilled opener Tyler Holton’s second pitch off the right-field wall for a leadoff double that came within inches of being a leadoff homer, and with that, the tone was set. David Fry, Cleveland’s unlikely All-Star with a .430 OBP against southpaws this season, drew a walk. José Ramírez chopped a hard ground ball that third baseman Zack McKinstry couldn’t handle, and it trickled into the left-field corner, allowing Kwan to score the game’s first run.
Josh Naylor followed with a single through the right side to score Fry and put runners on the corners with Lane Thomas coming up. Thomas’ track record of punishing left-handed pitching — .880 career OPS against southpaws, compared to a .680 mark vs. right-handers — signaled the end of the day for the lefty Holton. In came righty Reese Olson, the latest Tiger to make his postseason debut.
It took all of one pitch for Thomas to provide exactly what the Guardians had been searching for when they acquired him at the trade deadline: someone capable of doing damage after Ramírez and Naylor.
A vicious cut from Thomas on a first-pitch slider from Olson sent the ball soaring toward the left-field bleachers, eventually landing a projected 394 feet from home plate. Seemingly in a blink, it was 5-0 Guardians. Damage most certainly done.
Cleveland’s five-run blitz in the first inning tied the MLB record for runs scored to start a postseason game before recording an out, joining last year’s D-backs in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Dodgers. Arizona’s barrage came on the road in front of a downright stunned — and, in turn, silent — Dodger Stadium….