Fresh off bye, Guardians pounce on Tigers in Game 1 of ALDS - ESPN

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.

The Guardians' five runs tied for the most in the first inning of a playoff game in franchise history, according to ESPN Research.

«To the players' credit, they put a ton of effort into our workouts,» Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. «They got competitive with each other in some simulated games, and it showed. We came out ready to swing the bat, and we looked like we didn't take five days off.»

The run support benefited starter Tanner Bibee, who went 4⅔ scoreless innings and walked off the mound to a standing ovation. He was followed by four relievers who didn't give up a hit the rest of the game, including rookie Cade Smith, who struck out all four batters he faced. They all threw well, but it was a lot easier