Guardians: Lane Thomas begins his postseason with a bang, hitting big three-run home run on first pitch he sees

CLEVELAND — Lane Thomas was brought in at the trade deadline to boost Cleveland's offense. He needed just one pitch to get the job done Saturday. Thomas crushed the first pitch from Tigers reliever Reese Olson over the left field wall to deliver what ultimately was a knockout blow that capped a five-run first during the Guardians' 7-0 win in Game 1 of the American League Division Series at Progressive Field. The Guardians will host Game 2 on Monday. "It was electric," Thomas said. "It was everything I thought and more. To watch four guys take unbelievable at-bats and then come through for the team was amazing." Thomas, who spent the first half of the season with Washington, faced Olson on June 12 when he was with the Nationals. While he went 0-for-2 with a walk on that day, the experience came in handy Saturday during his first postseason at-bat. Olson had just relieved opener Tyler Holton, who allowed two hits and a walk while Jose Ramirez reached on an error. Detroit hoped Olson could put out the fire, but Thomas turned it into an inferno. "I faced him earlier on in the season before I got here," Thomas said. "I thought in that situation I'd get a fastball either in off the plate or something soft that I could hit in the air and at least score that run from third. I picked one or the other and got the one I was looking for." The crowd, and the dugout, were pumped to say the least. "I was super excited," Cleveland starter Tanner Bibee said of Thomas' home run. "When he first got here, he had a little bit of a hard time. Once he started figuring it out, he's been unbelievable. He's unbelievable in the clubhouse, unbelievable person and an unbelievable player." Cleveland acquired Thomas on July 29 for three prospects — left-handed pitcher Alex Clemmey, shortstop Rafael Ramirez Jr. and infielder Jose Tena. Thomas struggled to find his footing, hitting just .148 during his first 28 games with the club through August. During that span he had just 12 hits, four of them doubles, with no home runs and three RBIs. He had hit .253 with eight home runs, 16 doubles, three triples and 40 RBIs in his 77 games with Washington. But once the calendar turned to September, Thomas found another gear, hitting .264 down the stretch with seven home runs, six doubles and 20 RBIs. And it doesn't look like the magic is wearing off in October, at least so far. "It's fun for him," Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. "First pitch he sees is a three-run home run. Lane Thomas is a phenomenal player, he has been in this league for a long time. It took him awhile to get his feet wet for us, but once he did, he's been great. Hitting behind (Josh Naylor) has really provided a lot. That was a really fun moment for him." Contact Chris Sweeney at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Follow him @CSweeney1686 on X.