Lane Thomas provided the signature swings of the American League Division Series to send the Cleveland Guardians back to the AL Championship Series 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 midseason acquisition launched a grand slam one week later to fuel Guardians' 7-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers in the decisive contest in the best-of-five series.
Cleveland will face the New York Yankees on the road in Game 1 of the ALCS on Monday. The Yankees won four of the six meetings against the Guardians in the regular season.
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