CLEVELAND — Lane Thomas provided the signature swings of the American League Division Series to send the Guardians back to the AL Championship Series (ALCS) for the first time since 2016.
Thomas belted a three-run homer to highlight a five-run first inning in Cleveland’s lopsided win in Game 1 last Saturday. The in-season acquisition launched a grand slam one week later to fuel the Guardians to a 7-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers in the decisive contest in the best-of-five series.
Cleveland will visit the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the ALCS on Monday. The Yankees won four of the six meetings against the Guardians in the regular season.
Thomas, who added an RBI single in the seventh inning, has paid significant dividends since the Guardians acquired him from the Washington Nationals on July 29 in exchange for third baseman Jose Tena and minor leaguers Alex Clemmey and Rafael Ramirez, Jr. — Reuters
