The Guardians made sure they didn’t “just go through the motions” during their five-day layoff, and it showed as they scored five in the first inning and beat the Tigers 7-0 in Game 1.
CLEVELAND — For playoff teams who earn a bye into the division series, there’s always a bit of trepidation they’ll exhibit some rust in their first postseason game, but the Cleveland Guardians weren’t having any of it on Saturday.
After a five-day layoff, the Guardians ambushed the Detroit Tigers, scoring five times in the first inning and winning 7-0 to take a 1-0 lead in their best-of-five series.
“It was definitely a topic for a lot of the coaches, not to go in and just go through the motions”, left fielder Steven Kwan said of their week of practice. “Try to be intentional. It worked out today.”
Kwan got the ball rolling for the home team, missing a home run by inches to lead off the game while settling for a double. He nearly batted again in the inning as Cleveland blew up the Tigers’ strategy of using an opener. Starter Tyler Holton didn’t record an out, and the man who replaced him — righty Reese Olson — was promptly greeted with a first-pitch blast off the bat of Lane Thomas.
According to ESPN Stats and Information, the Guardians’ five runs tied the most in the first inning of a playoff game in franchise history.
