Six days off, with one of them unscheduled due to a rainout on the last day of the regular season, didn’t seem to affect the Cleveland Guardians one bit. Despite the break, they came out swinging with intensity, showcasing the sharpened edge they’ve honed throughout this surprising season. It was a sunny Saturday afternoon, and the Guardians wasted no time dominating Game 1 of the American League Division Series (ALDS), shutting out the wild card Detroit Tigers 7-0 in a best-of-five series. The stage is now set for Game 2, scheduled for Monday at 4:08 p.m. at Progressive Field, with the Guardians looking to build on their momentum.
The Guardians earned their spot in the ALDS by finishing with the second-best record in the league, clinching the AL Central title. Their dominant season performance secured them a bye, a coveted but often challenging position. In recent history, teams granted a bye haven’t fared well, sometimes losing their edge. However, Cleveland showed no signs of rust. They came into the matchup against a Tigers team fresh off a two-game sweep of the Houston Astros in the wild card round, and it was evident from the start who was more prepared.
The Guardians’ offense wasted no time getting to work, striking fast and hard in the first inning to seize a commanding 5-0 lead. Tyler Holton, Detroit’s left-handed opener, had previously silenced the Guardians’ bats in three regular-season starts, not allowing a single run. But Saturday was a different story. The game opened with Steven Kwan sending a double off the right-field wall. David Fry followed with a walk, and then came a key moment: José Ramírez hit a grounder to third that somehow got past Zach McKinstry and rolled down the left-field line, resulting in an error. Kwan scored, and Fry advanced to third, setting the stage for a huge inning.
Josh Naylor, who had driven in a career-high 108 runs during the regular season, added to the chaos with a single to right, scoring Fry and moving Ramírez to third base. Holton’s day ended quickly after that, and Reese Olson was brought in to stop the bleeding. Unfortunately for Detroit, Lane Thomas greeted Olson with a bang, launching his first career postseason home run—a three-run shot—into the left-field bleachers on Olson’s very first pitch. The Guardians were up 5-0, and the crowd at Progressive Field was roaring. It was a picture-perfect start for Cleveland.
For context, the Guardians became the first team in American League postseason history to score five runs in the opening inning without recording a single out, according to both Elias Sports Bureau and Stats Perform. It was a historic start to what would be a stellar performance.
"This is great for our guys," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said after the game. "They had five days off, but they worked hard to stay ready. To come out like that, jumping on them early, it was a huge game for us."
The early outburst of runs allowed Cleveland's starting pitcher, Tanner Bibee, to settle into the game without too much pressure. Facing the Tigers for the fifth time this year, Bibee had some struggles in the first inning, throwing 26 pitches and needing a mound visit from pitching coach Carl Willis. Detroit managed to get a runner on base after a single by Kerry Carpenter and a hit-by-pitch to Riley Greene, but Bibee escaped without damage.
From there, Bibee found his rhythm. Over the next 3 2/3 innings, he allowed only three hits and a walk, none of which seriously threatened Cleveland’s lead. Zach McKinstry's sun-aided single in the second inning and Riley Greene’s leadoff single in the fourth were the only hits of note. Bibee's defense had his back, turning a critical 5-4-3 double play off the bat of Spencer Torkelson in the fourth, which snuffed out a potential rally.
In the fifth inning, Bibee retired the first two batters before giving up a single to Parker Meadows. At that point, with Bibee having thrown just 76 pitches and needing only one more out to qualify for the win, Vogt made the decision to go to the bullpen. The Guardians’ bullpen is widely regarded as the best in the league, and they hadn’t pitched in six days, so it was a no-brainer to get them involved early. Rookie Cade Smith came in to relieve Bibee, who tipped his cap to the sellout crowd as they gave him a well-deserved ovation.
"I always want to stay out there," Bibee admitted after the game. "But it's the postseason, and I get it. It’s all about team wins now."
Smith was phenomenal in relief, striking out four consecutive batters over the next two innings. Tim Herrin followed Smith, taking over in the seventh and retiring three straight batters, two by strikeout. Even when he allowed a walk to Jake Rogers to start the eighth, Hunter Gaddis came in to clean things up, inducing a flyout and a beautiful 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.
By the ninth, closer Emmanuel Clase was ready to shut the door. He faced the top of the Tigers’ lineup and retired them in order to complete the four-hit shutout, sealing the dominant 7-0 victory.
On the offensive side, after their five-run explosion in the first, the Guardians were relatively quiet until the sixth inning when they added two more insurance runs. Fry doubled down the left-field line to bring in Jhonkensy Noel and Kwan, extending Cleveland’s lead to 7-0. Kwan and Fry were dynamic at the top of the lineup, combining for three hits (two doubles), three walks, two runs, and two RBIs.
"Kwanie’s been our spark plug all year," said Vogt. "When he goes, we go. And David, no matter what role we’ve thrown him in, he’s come through with the same attitude. It’s fun to see him come through on a big day like this."
With Bibee's solid performance (4 2/3 innings, six strikeouts, one walk) and the bullpen's brilliance, the Guardians cruised to their first postseason victory of the year. Bibee lowered his ERA against Detroit from 4.50 to 3.76 in what has been an impressive second year for the young pitcher.
Next up is Game 2, where the Guardians will send left-hander Matthew Boyd (2-2, 2.72 ERA) to face Tigers’ ace Tarik Skubal (18-4, 2.39 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 4:08 p.m. at Progressive Field. Fans can catch the game on TBS, WTAM, WMMS, ESPN, and the Guardians Radio Network.
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