10/12/24 04:17:00
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10/12 16:15 CDT Thomas hits grand slam off Skubal, Guardians down Tigers 7-3 to
reach AL Championship Series
Thomas hits grand slam off Skubal, Guardians down Tigers 7-3 to reach AL
Championship Series
By TOM WITHERS
AP Sports Writer
CLEVELAND (AP) --- Lane Thomas hit a grand slam off Tarik Skubal and Cleveland
beat the Detroit Tigers 7-3 on Saturday in Game 5 of their AL Division Series,
moving the Guardians into another postseason matchup against the Yankees.
Cleveland will meet New York in the AL Championship Series, setting up another
playoff matchup between two teams that have crossed paths six previous times in
October. They last met in 2022, with the Yankees taking their ALDS in five
games.
Game 1 is Monday in the Bronx.
Thomas had five RBIs for the Guardians, who weren't expected to contend this
season. But they won the tough AL Central under first-year manager Stephen
Vogt, and Cleveland is still alive with a chance to end a World Series title
drought stretching to 1948.
"We're a step closer. Any time you're a step closer, the more you want to win,"
All-Star third baseman Jos Ramrez said in Cleveland's champagne-soaked
clubhouse. "And we want to win it for the city."
The Guardians had to take down Skubal, the front-runner for the AL Cy Young
Award, to keep it going. The left-hander had not given up a run in 24
consecutive innings --- 17 in this postseason --- before the Guardians tagged
him in the fifth for five runs, tying the most he allowed in 2024.
And Cleveland did with its familiar, scrappy style dubbed "Guards Ball,"
getting three singles --- one an infield roller --- to load the bases before
Skubal hit Ramrez on the left hand to force in a run.
"That's who we are," Vogt said. "That's who that group has been in that room
all year. As soon as we get punched, we answer. That's been our M.O. all year
long --- as soon as we give up a run, our guys come right back."
That brought up Thomas, who hit a three-run homer in Cleveland's 7-0 win in
Game 1.
The center fielder, who struggled in his first month with the Guardians after
coming over in a July trade from Washington, connected on Skubal's first pitch,
sending it just over the 19-foot-high wall in left-center field.
When the ball touched down, the Guardians' dugout emptied and the screaming,
red-clad Progressive Field crowd erupted in celebration.
"It was one pitch," Skubal said. "I would love to have it back. But what a
swing. In the moment, you think about executing the pitch and I didn't do it.
This will sting a little bit and it should."
As has been the case all season, Vogt leaned on his MLB-best bullpen, which
showed some wear and tear.
After Thomas hit his homer, the Tigers threatened in the sixth, scoring a run
on a single by Jake Rogers and loading the bases with two outs. But Hunter
Gaddis struck out Kerry Carpenter, who won Game 2 with a three-run homer in the
ninth.
The Tigers, though, kept clawing and closed to 5-3 on Colt Keith's one-out RBI
double in the seventh. Eli Morgan came in for Cleveland and struck out both
batters he faced.
Thomas hit an RBI single in the eighth to put the Guardians up by three, and
that's when Vogt turned to All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase, the AL's saves
leader, to put the Tigers away.
Throwing one 100 mph fastball after another, Clase got the final six outs. When
he retired Keith on a routine grounder to first, the Guardians could finally
exhale and plan for their first ALCS visit since 2016.
Skubal lost for the first time since Aug. 2, and the Tigers, who missed a
chance to eliminate the Guardians at Comerica Park on Thursday, had their
unimaginable late-season push end in disappointment.
"I have a heartbroken team for all the right reasons," said Detroit manager
A.J. Hinch, who pushed all the right buttons down the stretch. "I mean we left
everything we could on the field against a really good team and we didn't want
the season to end as abruptly as it did."
Out of contention in August, Detroit regrouped and rerouted its season.
Energized by some kids they brought up from the minors, the Tigers took off and
went 31-13 after Aug. 11 to earn a postseason berth --- one of three AL Central
teams to make it.
They then swept Houston in the wild-card round before meeting Cleveland in the
postseason for the first time after more than 2,300 games between the
franchises.
The Guardians took hold of first place in April and never let go. Cleveland
became one of the season's biggest surprises, winning 92 games under Vogt, a
former journeyman catcher who had no previous managerial experience.
Before the game, Vogt was confident his team wasn't done.
"It feels like we're going to New York," said Vogt.
The Guardians are on their way.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Tigers: Carpenter wasn't in the starting lineup due to a hamstring injury
suffered in Game 4. He didn't have much time to heal with the quick turnaround
and MLB's decision to switch the start time from 8:08 p.m. to 1:08. Carpenter
entered in the fifth as a pinch hitter and singled home Trey Sweeney for a 1-0
lead.
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