The Guardians faced off against the Tigers today in the first game of the division series at home, securing a decisive 7-0 victory. Lane Thomas made a significant impact, hitting his first postseason home run and establishing himself as a key contributor to the win.
Tigers’ starter Tyler Holton exited the game after facing just four batters in the second inning. Reese Olson stepped in but quickly faced trouble as Thomas launched a three-run homer, bringing the Guardians’ total to five runs within the first five hitters. From there, the Guardians maintained their lead until the final out.
Thomas, who spent the first five years of his career with the Cardinals and Nationals, had not experienced postseason play before joining the Nationals in 2019 when they won the World Series. He was unable to participate due to an injury. After being traded to the Guardians on July 30, he made an immediate impact by hitting a three-run homer in his first postseason at-bat.
The Tigers advanced to the division series by sweeping the Astros in the wildcard round, but today they struggled against the Guardians’ pitching, managing only four hits and striking out 13 times—marking their worst postseason shutout since they lost 9-0 to the Cubs in the 1945 World Series.
Returning to the postseason after a decade, the Tigers are now on a four-game losing streak that extends back to the previous postseason in 2014 when they were swept by the Orioles. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch expressed hope that his team would benefit from facing such a solid bullpen, emphasizing the importance of experience for his players moving forward.
