Guardians Make History in ALDS Series Opener vs. Tigers

The Cleveland Guardians made history in the first inning of their ALDS series opener against the Detroit Tigers.

Oct 5, 2024; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas (8) celebrates with Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor (22) and Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) after hitting a three-run home run against the Detroit Tigers in the first inning in game one of the ALDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Progressive Field. / David Richard-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians opened their ALDS series today against the Detroit Tigers. Right off the bat in the bottom of the first inning, they jumped all over their AL Central rivals.

When the first inning ended, the Guardians were leading by a score of 5-0.

OptaSTATS took to X to share that with that inning, Cleveland actually ended up making MLB history. They became the first American League team ever to score five runs before recording a single out in a playoff game.

The @CleGuardians are the first American League team ever to score five runs before recording an out to start a playoff game.

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) October 5, 2024

Coming into this series, the offensive production was a major question mark about the Guardians. They did a great job of silencing that question right away.

While the first inning was exciting, there is a lot of baseball left to be played today. In recent weeks, the Tigers have been arguably the hottest team in the league. They are more than capable of making a comeback attempt.

On paper, Cleveland should win this series. However, the game must be played and the Guardians have to take care of business.

Getting off to a hot start in Game 1 was a big-time need. They will have to face superstar pitcher Tarik Skubal at some point in the near future, more than likely in Game 2 of the series.

Thankfully, the team came prepared. Five runs in the first inning gives them a lot of confidence. Now, they just need to keep their foot on the gas pedal.

Hopefully, the offense isn't done for the day. They need to continue scoring runs and making life difficult on Detroit. So far, they're doing everything that they needed to do.