The Cleveland Guardians appear to have won the Lane Thomas trade.
Thomas, acquired from the Washington Nationals at the deadline, hit a grand slam off Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal in the fifth inning of Game 5 of the ALDS on Saturday, putting the Guardians up 5-1 and on the brink of the ALCS.
Thomas, 29, was traded to Cleveland on July 29th for prospects Alex Clemmey and Rafael Ramirez Jr. and utilityman José Tena.
LANE THOMAS. GRAND SLAM. @CLEGUARDIANS ON TOP.#ALDS pic.twitter.com/9bxvHY59T9
— MLB (@MLB) October 12, 2024
The Guardians trailed 1-0 entering the bottom of the fifth. But Cleveland loaded the bases with singles from Andrés Giménez, Steven Kwan and David Fry — the last one an infield single on a slow roller to the right side.
That brought up José Ramírez, who was hit on the forearm, tying the score.
Thomas saw just one pitch — a 97 mph sinker — and blasted it out to left-center field. It was the sixth grand slam in Cleveland postseason history. Thomas also hit a three-run home run in Game 1.
The Tigers trimmed the lead to 5-3 in the top of the seventh.
(Photo: Nick Cammett / Getty Images)
