Lane Thomas hit a home run on the first pitch he saw in his MLB playoff debut to help the Cleveland Guardians win Game 1 of the ALDS with the Tigers.

Lane Thomas hit a three-run homer in a five-run outburst before Detroit got an out, and the Cleveland Guardians unleashed their lights-out bullpen to complete a four-hitter in a 7-0 win over the Tigers in an AL Division Series opener.

But a little more than a month ago, that kind of production would have seemed inconceivable for Thomas. After joining the Guardians at the trade deadline in July, the six-year veteran went into a terrible funk for the entire month of August at the plate ...