CLEVELAND — For playoff teams that earn a bye into the division series, there's always a bit of trepidation that they'll exhibit some rust in their first postseason game.
The Cleveland Guardians, however, weren't having any of it 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 AL Division 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 the team's 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.