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.
