Detroit Tigers punched in face by Guardians in 7-0 beatdown in Game 1 of ALDS
CLEVELAND — The Detroit Tigers got a cold dose of reality Saturday afternoon at Progressive Field.
The Cleveland Guardians' first five batters in the first inning scored, and the Tigers never recovered in a 7-0 gut-punch in Game 1 of the ALDS.
Tigers opener Tyler Holton faced the first four hitters without recording an out. Only 10 other pitchers have failed to record an out in a postseason start, most recently Mike Clevinger in the 2022 NLCS 2022.
The Tigers never threatened offensively, reaching third base just once, shut down by Tanner Bibee over 4⅔ innings and four relievers did not allow a hit over 4⅓ innings. The Tigers struck out 13 times.
Game 2 is Monday in Cleveland (4:08 p.m., TBS), with Tigers ace Tarik Skubal on the mound against former Tigers lefty Matthew Boyd. Game 3, the Tigers' first playoff home game in a decade, is Wednesday afternoon (find tickets here).
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This story will be updated.
Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on X @seideljeff. To read his recent columns, go to freep.com/sports/jeff-seidel.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tigers never had a chance vs Guardians in 7-0 beatdown in ALDS Game 1
