Lane Thomas’ aggressive approach at the plate paid off again for the Cleveland Guardians in Game 5 of the ALDS on Saturday.
On the first pitch he saw from Detroit Tigers starter Tarik Skubal in the bottom of the fifth inning, Thomas blasted a grand slam to help the Guardians to a 7-3 victory and advance to the ALCS.
“He threw one pitch over the middle and I put a good swing on it. It’s as simple as that,” Thomas said afterward. “I don’t know how many scoreless innings he threw [in the series], it just takes one.”
Skubal had been cruising along, quieting the Guardians’ bats through four innings. But in the bottom of the fifth inning the AL pitching Triple Crown winner and likely Cy Young recipient got himself into a jam that he couldn’t escape.
Singles from Andrés Giménez, Steven Kwan and David Fry brought José Ramírez to the plate with the bases loaded. Instead of the Guardians’ third baseman doing it with his bat like he has done so many times during the season, Ramírez took one for the team – a hit by pitch on the elbow – tying the game 1-1.
With Skubal in a tough spot, it was a prime opportunity for Thomas to be aggressive. Much like he did in Game 1 on a first-pitch three-run blast, his grand slam struck a blow in the Tigers’ hopes with their ace on the mound.
Thomas, who had 9 RBI in the ALDS, loved swinging away when the count was 0-0 during the regular season. The 29-year-old outfielder, who was acquired from the Washington Nationals on July 29, was 18-for-63 (.286) with a home run and 9 RBI on first pitches. Now in the postseason he has three hits, two for homers, in similar situations.
The Tigers had a chance to respond in the top of the sixth inning following Thomas’ blast. They brought in a run on a Jake Rogers single, and after a Trey Sweeney walk the bases were loaded for Kerry Carpenter.
Carpenter started the game on the bench battling a nagging hamstring. He entered the game for Justyn-Henry Malloy and promptly hit a 370-foot single to right-center field to score Sweeney and give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. But he could not win the bases-loaded battle with Guardians reliever Hunter Gaddis.
The Guardians will now play in the ALCS for the first time since 2016.
Game 1 of Guardians-Yankees will be Monday at 7:38 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium.
