Three Positives From the ALDS

Perhaps the most positive week of this long season saw the Guardians move on to the ALCS for the first time in eight years.

Even though it included two gut-wrenching losses, it’s hard to think of any negatives from the past week for the Guardians. So let’s take a look at the three most positive moments from the ALDS champs.

Eight Year Drought is Broken

For the first time since their World Series run in 2016, the Cleveland Guardians are headed to the American League Championship Series. After a 3-2 series win over the Detroit Tigers, the Guardians will face the powerhouse New York Yankees beginning tonight. It took every ounce of effort the team had to pull off a win against Cy Young favorite Tarik Skubal, but they got the job done behind nine innings of dominant pitching, seven from the best bullpen in the league.

Starter Matthew Boyd gave the team a strong start, giving up just one hit and striking out five across two innings. That’s why the fans – myself included – were extremely puzzled when manager Stephen Vogt pulled him for Cade Smith in the third inning. Smith gave the team 1.2 strong innings before newcomer Erik Sabrowski closed out the fourth. The next three pitchers – Walters, Herrin, and Gaddis – each gave up a run, helping the Tigers close in on the Guardians’ lead. However, Eli Morgan struck out two of the three batters he faced before handing the ball off to Emmanuel Clase, giving the Guards an all but guaranteed win.

Thomas Having an October to Remember

I’ve kept the receipts of everyone who said Lane Thomas was a bust in August. I’m sure he did too. I’ve always had high hopes for him after receiving him at the trade deadline earlier this season. While I’ll admit he hasn’t always lived up to my expectations, he’s done everything to prove me right so far this postseason. His .316 average and nine RBI have kept this team alive even in the darkest moments of this series.

His first big hit came in game one when he hit a three-run home run in the first inning to bring the score to 5-0. The Tigers would fail to score in that game, giving the Guards a huge 7-0 win. His biggest moment came in the winner-take-all game five in the fifth inning of a 1-1 ballgame. With the bases loaded, Thomas hit a towering home run to centerfield to give the Guardians a huge 5-1 lead. While that one hit would turn out to be all they would need, Thomas added an insurance run with an RBI single in the seventh.

Smith Breaking Records

Rookie reliever Cade Smith continued his dominant season with a record-breaking performance in the ALDS. He struck out 12 of the 22 hitters he faced. This set a record for most hitters struck out by a reliever in the ALDS. The previous record was 11 strikeouts by Nick Pivetta for the Boston Red Sox in 2021 (cleveland.com). Smith was called upon in each of the five games, proving that he can be relied on in just about any situation.

While he was worked pretty hard during this series, he had all of Sunday to rest and recover. Here’s hoping a day is all he needed, as he will most likely be called upon in tonight’s opener against the Yankees. The entire bullpen had an exhausting day Saturday, so yesterday’s off day was needed by all.