Subscribe
Follow Us
Cleveland Guardians’ All-Star left fielder Steven Kwan returned to the team’s lineup just in time for the postseason. After missing 11 games with a back injury in September, Kwan got two tune-up games at the end of the regular season. He’s now healthy and back at the top of the order as the Division Series between the Guardians and the Detroit Tigers began on Saturday.
Kwan made his presence felt in the first inning of the ALDS with a history-making hit. In his first at bat, he doubled to right field. It was the fifth postseason leadoff hit of his career, tying Kenny Lofton for the most in Cleveland franchise history, per Sarah Langs on X.
With the double, Kwan also became the first player in team history to have a leadoff hit in the club’s first game of the playoffs, via Langs.
Kwan’s hit sparked a big inning for the Guardians. The team jumped on top of the Tigers with five runs in the first. Through six innings of play, Detroit has been unable to answer as Tanner Bibee went 4.2 innings without allowing a run on four hits. He also struck out six batters and issued one walk. Cade Smith relieved Bibee in the fifth, coming on to close out the inning and working a clean sixth. He has four strikeouts in 1.1 innings. The Guardians added two runs in the sixth to go up 7-0.
The Guardians’ Steven Kwan made history against the Tigers in the ALDS
After six innings, Kwan is 1-2 with the record-setting double and two walks. He's also crossed the plate twice, scoring the first run of the Guardians’ big rally to start the game.
This is Kwan’s second postseason appearance, as he made his playoff debut with Cleveland in 2022. After going 0-9 in the Wild Card Series that year, Kwan heated up in the ALDS against the New York Yankees. Overall, he slashed .300/.344/.433 in seven postseason games heading into the Guardians’ 2024 Division Series against the Tigers.
Despite battling through injuries all season, and losing their ace Shane Bieber to Tommy John surgery in April, Cleveland rallied to win the AL Central. While the Guardians boast one of the best bullpens in baseball, starting pitching continues to be an issue. Bibee started Game 1 and mid-season acquisition Matthew Boyd is likely to start Game 2, however, Cleveland surprisingly left Ben Lively off the ALDS roster.
The Tigers come into the series playing with house money. Detroit got hot in the second half of the season, going 39-26 since returning from the All-Star break and shocking the baseball world by making the playoffs. After the Tigers upset the Houston Astros in the Wild Card round, manager AJ Hinch acknowledged that the team is playing with no pressure as they square off against the Guardians in the Division Series.
