CLEVELAND — Lane Thomas launched a grand slam against Tarik Skubal, leading the Cleveland Guardians to a 7-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers in Game 5 of their American League Division Series on Saturday. This win propels the Guardians into a postseason clash with the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series. The matchup marks a significant moment, as these two teams have previously faced each other in the playoffs six times, with their latest encounter occurring in 2022 when the Yankees triumphed in a five-game ALDS.
The series is set to commence on Monday in the Bronx. Thomas made a notable impact in the game, driving in a total of five RBIs for the Guardians, a team that many analysts did not foresee making a strong playoff run this season. Under the guidance of first-year manager Stephen Vogt, Cleveland clinched the challenging AL Central and remains hopeful of breaking a 75-year World Series title drought dating back to 1948.
In a pivotal moment for the Guardians, they managed to rally against Skubal, who has been a leading candidate for the AL Cy Young Award. Before facing Cleveland, Skubal had an impressive streak, not allowing any runs over 24 consecutive innings, including 17 innings in the postseason. However, in the fifth inning, the Guardians stunned him, scoring five runs—the most he had conceded in a single game during the 2024 season.
Cleveland employed their trademark scrappy playing style, often referred to as “Guards Ball,” by executing three singles to load the bases. A pivotal moment came when Skubal inadvertently hit All-Star José Ramírez, allowing one run to cross the plate. Following this, Thomas stepped up, having already made an impact with a three-run homer earlier in Game 1.
The center fielder, who had initially faced challenges after joining the Guardians in a July trade from Washington, swung at Skubal’s first pitch and sent it soaring just over the 19-foot wall in left-center field. The moment ignited the Guardians’ dugout and sent the enthusiastic crowd at Progressive Field into a frenzy.
As has been the strategy throughout the season, Vogt leaned heavily on his bullpen, which had begun showing signs of fatigue. Despite the pressure, Cleveland’s pitcher Hunter Gaddis stepped in during a tense sixth inning when the Tigers scored and loaded the bases with two outs. Gaddis held firm, striking out Kerry Carpenter, who had previously delivered a game-winning three-run homer in the second game of the series.
The Tigers continued to battle back, narrowing the score to 5-3 after Colt Keith delivered an RBI double in the seventh. Cleveland’s Eli Morgan came in for relief and struck out both batters he faced, maintaining the Guardians’ advantage. Thomas added an insurance run with an RBI single in the eighth, prompting Vogt to call upon All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase, who had led the American League in saves, to secure the win.
Clase, showcasing his impressive fastball reaching 100 mph, dominated the final six outs of the game. As he induced a routine grounder to first base to retire Keith, the Guardians could finally breathe a sigh of relief as they prepared for their first trip to the ALCS since 2016.
The loss marked Skubal’s first defeat since August 2, while the Tigers’ late-season surge came to an abrupt end. After initially falling out of contention in August, Detroit regrouped, fueled by several young players promoted from the minors, and ended up finishing the season strong, with a record of 31-13 after August 11, which secured them a postseason berth. They swept the Houston Astros in the wild-card round before facing Cleveland in the playoffs for the first time, having played over 2,300 games against each other.
Cleveland took charge of the division early in the season and held onto it, becoming one of the most surprising teams after winning 92 games under Vogt, a former catcher with no prior managerial experience. Before the game concluded, Vogt exuded confidence in his team’s trajectory, stating, “It feels like we’re going to New York.” And indeed, the Guardians are set for their next venture.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Tigers: Kevin Carpenter was absent from the starting lineup due to a hamstring injury sustained in Game 4. With little time to recover following the game’s quick turnaround and MLB’s adjustment of the start time from 8:08 p.m. to 1:08 p.m., Carpenter entered as a pinch hitter in the fifth inning and brought in a run with a single to give Detroit an early 1-0 lead.