The Cleveland Guardians could not have asked for a better start in Game 1 of the ALDS Saturday. They scored five runs before the Tigers recorded an out.
Despite not having played a game in a week due to a first-round bye in the wild-card round, the Guardians’ hitters did not look rusty at all.
After blanking the Detroit Tigers in the top of the first inning, Guardians leadoff hitter Steven Kwan nearly left the yard for a home run, hitting a ball just off the top of the right field wall for a double to get things started. David Fry followed Kwan with a walk.
The Guardians had runners on first and second base with no one out, and they were sending their best hitter, Jose Ramirez, to the plate.
Ramirez hit a chopper down the third base line that Tigers third baseman Zack McKinstry couldn’t handle, scoring Kwan on the play and giving the Guardians a 1-0 lead.
Cleanup hitter Josh Naylor singled into right field in the next at-bat to plate Fry and give the Guardians a 2-0 lead.
Tigers’ manager A.J. Hinch had seen enough and removed starting pitcher Tyler Holton from the game after he had not recorded an out through four batters, and Reese Olson took the mound.
Olson’s first pitch after entering the game was not a good one. He threw a hanging breaking ball over the middle of the plate, and outfielder Lane Thomas clobbered it for a three-run home run, giving the Guardians a 5-0 lead.
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The Tigers’ first recorded out of the first inning came on the Guardian’s seventh batter of the inning, when Jhonkensy Noel grounded out.
That was all the offense the Guardians needed in a 7-0 shutout victory, holding the Tigers’ offense to just four hits.
Guardians starting pitcher Tanner Bibee shut the Tigers down, scattering four hits over 4⅔ shutout innings while striking out six batters.
The Guardians’ bullpen took care of the rest, using four relief pitchers to complete the shutout.
Fry extended the Guardians’ lead to 7-0 with a two-run double in the sixth inning, and that is where the score remained.
The Tigers will send out their ace and presumptive AL Cy Young winner, Tarik Skubal, to try and turn things around Monday after a rough Game 1.
Matthew Boyd gets the start for the Guardians in Game 2 as they look to take a commanding series lead.
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