Thomas hits grand slam off Skubal, Guardians down Tigers 7-3 to reach AL Championship Series

CLEVELAND (AP) — For the third time in less than a month, the Cleveland Guardians made a semi-circle in the middle of their clubhouse and emptied champagne and beer bottles on each other as “Rocky Top” blasted through the speakers.

The choice of music is unique. So is this team.

The Guardians are an October surprise.

Lane Thomas hit a grand slam off Detroit ace Tarik Skubal and the Guardians, who have won with timely hitting and a shutdown bullpen all season, followed that script for a 7-3 victory over the Tigers in Game 5 of their AL Division Series on Saturday.

Next up for Cleveland is the New York Yankees in an AL Championship Series between two teams that have crossed paths six previous times in the playoffs. They last met in 2022, with the Yankees taking their ALDS in five games.

Game 1 is Monday in the Bronx.

With their $109 million payroll, the Guardians are an oddity among baseball's final four — the little guys taking on the big-spending Yankees, Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers.

It's Cleveland against the world.

“We’re playing a very, very good Yankees team,” said Guardians first-year manager Stephen Vogt. “We’ve seen them in the regular season. This is one of the most talented teams in the league. So we know we have our work cut out for us.”

Thomas had five RBIs for the Guardians, who weren't expected to contend this season. But they won the tough AL Central under Vogt, giving the franchise a chance to stop a World Series title drought stretching to 1948.

“We're a step closer. Any time you're a step closer, the more you want to win," All-Star third baseman José Ramírez said through an interpreter. “And we want to win it for the city.”

The Guardians had to take down Skubal, the front-runner for the AL Cy Young Award, to keep it going. The left-hander had not given up a run in 28 consecutive innings — 17 in this postseason — before the Guardians tagged him in the fifth for five runs, tying the most he allowed in 2024.

“They wanted to face him today," Vogt said. “And if you don’t show up fully confident that you’re going to win, you don’t show up to the field. That's been our approach all year, and we’re not going to stop now.”

Cleveland pieced together its big inning off Skubal with the team's familiar, scrappy style dubbed “Guards Ball,” getting three singles — one an infield roller — to load the bases before Skubal hit Ramírez on the left hand to force in a run.

“That’s who we are,” Vogt said. “That’s who that group has been in that room all year. As soon as we get punched, we answer. That’s been our M.O. all year long — as soon as we give up a run, our guys come right back."

That brought up Thomas, who hit a three-run homer in Cleveland's 7-0 win in Game 1.

The center fielder, who struggled in his first month with the Guardians after coming over in a July trade with Washington, connected on Skubal's first pitch, sending it just over the 19-foot-high wall in left-center field.

When the ball touched down, the Guardians' dugout emptied and the screaming, red-clad Progressive Field crowd erupted in celebration.

It was another monster moment for Thomas, a Tennessee native and the reason why the club added “Rocky Top” to its postgame playlist.

“Definitely had some struggles those first two weeks, or maybe even the month,” Thomas said, reflecting on his rocky start with Cleveland. “I’m just thankful they kind of hung with me and let me get my feet under me and kept giving me at-bats. It felt good to kind of come through late in September and obviously in the playoffs.”

The homer was a rare misstep in what has been a dominant season for Skubal.

“It was one pitch,” Skubal said. “I would love to have it back. But what a swing. In the moment, you think about executing the pitch and I didn't do it. This will sting a little bit and it should."

As has been the case all season, Vogt leaned on his MLB-best bullpen, which showed some wear and tear.

After Thomas hit his homer, the Tigers threatened in the sixth, scoring a run on a single by Jake Rogers and loading the bases with two outs. But Hunter Gaddis struck out Kerry Carpenter, who won Game 2 with a three-run homer in the ninth.

The Tigers, though, kept clawing and closed to 5-3 on Colt Keith's one-out RBI double in the seventh. Eli Morgan came in for Cleveland and struck out both batters he faced.

Thomas hit an RBI single in the seventh to put the Guardians up by three, and Vogt turned to All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase, the AL's saves leader, in the eighth to put the Tigers away.

Throwing one 100 mph fastball after another, Clase got the final six outs. When he retired Keith on a routine grounder to first, the Guardians could finally exhale and plan for their first ALCS visit since 2016.

“These moments are made for confidence," Clase said through an interpreter. "I feel that I’m made for that.”

Skubal lost for the first time since Aug. 2, and the Tigers, who missed a chance to eliminate the Guardians at Comerica Park on Thursday, had their unimaginable late-season push end in disappointment.

“I have a heartbroken team for all the right reasons,” said Detroit manager A.J. Hinch, who pushed all the right buttons down the stretch. “I mean we left everything we could on the field against a really good team and we didn’t want the season to end as abruptly as it did.”

Out of contention in August, Detroit regrouped and rerouted its season. Energized by some kids they brought up from the minors, the Tigers took off and went 31-13 after Aug. 11 to earn a postseason berth — one of three AL Central teams to make it.

They swept Houston in the wild-card round before meeting Cleveland in the postseason for the first time after more than 2,300 games between the franchises.

The Guardians took hold of first place in April and never let go. Cleveland became one of the season's biggest surprises, winning 92 games under Vogt, a former journeyman catcher who had no previous managerial experience.

Before the game, Vogt was confident his team wasn't done.

“It feels like we’re going to New York,” said Vogt.

The Guardians are on their way.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Cleveland Guardians' Emmanuel Clase celebrates after the Guardians defeated the Detroit Tigers in Game 5 of baseball's American League Division Series, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

The Cleveland Guardians celebrate after the Guardians defeated the Tigers in Game 5 of baseball's American League Division Series, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)

Cleveland Guardians' Emmanuel Clase, left, and Josh Naylor, right, celebrate after the Guardians defeated the Detroit Tigers in Game 5 of baseball's American League Division Series, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Cleveland Guardians' Lane Thomas (8) celebrates with teammates, from left, David Fry, Steven Kwan, partially hidden, and Jose Ramirez, right, behind Detroit Tigers catcher Jake Rogers, after hitting a grand slam in the fifth inning during Game 5 of baseball's American League Division Series, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Cleveland Guardians' Lane Thomas, right, watches his grand slam in the fifth inning during Game 5 of baseball's American League Division Series against the Detroit Tigers, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)

Cleveland Guardians' Lane Thomas celebrates as he runs the bases after hitting grand slam in the fifth inning during Game 5 of baseball's American League Division Series against the Detroit Tigers, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Detroit Tigers' Parker Meadows (22) steals third base during the second inning in Game 5 of baseball's American League Division Series against the Cleveland Guardians, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Cleveland Cavaliers players, from left, Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Tristan Thompson pose before Game 5 in baseball's American League Division Series between the Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Guardians, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Cleveland Guardians' Erik Sabrowski pitches in the fourth inning during Game 5 of baseball's American League Division Series against the Detroit Tigers, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)

Cleveland Guardians' Cade Smith pitches in the third inning during Game 5 of baseball's American League Division Series against the Detroit Tigers, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Cleveland Guardians' Cade Smith pitches in the third inning during Game 5 of baseball's American League Division Series against the Detroit Tigers, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Detroit Tigers' Parker Meadows celebrates at second base after hitting a double in the second inning during Game 5 of baseball's American League Division Series against the Cleveland Guardians, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) is greeted by catcher Jake Rogers, left, as he walks off the mound during the first inning in Game 5 of baseball's American League Division Series against the Cleveland Guardians, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)

Detroit Tigers' Tarik Skubal pitches in the first inning during Game 5 of baseball's American League Division Series against the Cleveland Guardians, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)

Cleveland Guardians' Lane Thomas, center, is greeted by teammate David Fry, left, behind Detroit Tigers catcher Jake Rogers, right, after hitting a grand slam in the fifth inning during Game 5 of baseball's American League Division Series, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal stands on the mound after giving up a grand slam to Cleveland Guardians' Lane Thomas in the fifth inning during Game 5 of baseball's American League Division Series, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)

Cleveland Guardians' Emmanuel Clase reacts after striking out Detroit Tigers' Kerry Carpenter to end the eighth inning during Game 5 of baseball's American League Division Series, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)

Cleveland Guardians players, from rear left, David Fry, Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez greet teammate Lane Thomas after Thomas hit a grand slam in the fifth inning during Game 5 of baseball's American League Division Series against the Detroit Tigers, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Cleveland. Tigers catcher Jake Rogers is at right. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Barack Obama had frank words for Black men who may be considering sitting out the election.

“Part of it makes me think that, well, you just aren’t feeling the idea of having a woman as president, and you’re coming up with other alternatives and other reasons for that,” he said Thursday to Harris-Walz campaign volunteers and officials at a field office in Pittsburgh.

America's first Black president touched a nerve among Democrats worried about Vice President Kamala Harris' chances of becoming the second.

Harris is counting on Black turnout in battleground states such as Pennsylvania in her tight race with Republican Donald Trump, who has focused on energizing men of all races and tried to make inroads with Black men in particular.

Obama's comments belie that Black men still overwhelmingly back Harris. But her campaign and allies have worked hard trying to shore up support with this critical group of voters — and addressing questions about potential misogyny.

Black Americans are the most Democratic-leaning racial demographic in the country, with Black men being outpaced only by Black women in their support for Democrats.

A recent poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that about 7 in 10 Black voters had a favorable view of Harris and preferred her leadership to that of Trump on several major policy issues including the economy, health care, abortion, immigration and the war between Israel and Hamas.

There was little difference in support for Harris between Black men and Black women.

But Khalil Thompson, co-founder and executive director of Win With Black Men, said he agreed with what he saw as Obama's larger point.

“I believe President Obama is speaking to a tangible, visceral understanding of what it means for all men to relate to women in America. Calling out misogyny is not wrong," said Thompson, whose group raised more than $1.3 million for Harris from 20,000 Black men in the 24 hours after President Joe Biden bowed out of the race in July and made way for Harris.

Win With Black Men has organized weekly calls and events meant to bolster Harris' standing with Black men. The flurry of activism has focused on combating misinformation in Black communities about Harris, as well as an emphasis on the policy priorities of Black men, which the group found are often centered on greater economic opportunities, safe communities, social justice policies and health care, particularly for the partners and children of Black men.

“We’re not a monolith," Thompson said. “However, we are just like every other American in this country who wants a good paying job, that we can provide for our children and participate in their lives and the lives of our partner, that we can get them home safely, afford to go to the grocery store, save a little for retirement and have a vacation.”

Harris said she believes the votes of Black men must be earned, like with any group of voters.

Black men “are not in our back pocket,” she told a panel hosted by the National Association of Black Journalists in September.

Harris recently sat down with the “All The Smoke” podcast hosted by former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson to discuss her racial identity and policy issues of interest to Black men. On Tuesday, Harris will appear in Detroit for a live conversation with Charlamagne tha God, a prominent Black media personality.

The Harris campaign is conducting a number of outreach efforts to Black voters, including an tour of homecomings at historically Black colleges and universities, a number of radio and TV ads targeting Black voters in key states, and a get-out-the-vote operation engaging Black communities that complements the work of allied groups such as Win With Black Men.

It has also tapped high-profile surrogates, including politicians, business leaders, professional athletes and musical artists, to court Black men.

“Our Black men, we’ve got to get them out to vote,” said former NBA star Magic Johnson during a recent Harris rally in Flint, Michigan. “Kamala’s opponent promised a lot of things to the Black community that he did not deliver on. And we’ve got to make sure we help Black men understand that."

The Trump campaign and its allies have held roundtables for Black men and conducted a bus tour through swing states that featured cookouts in cities like Baltimore, Chicago and Philadelphia. The campaign believes the former president’s appeals on issues such as the economy, immigration and traditional gender roles resonate with some Black men.

Trump has also sought to exploit Obama's remarks, writing on social media Friday that Obama “admits a total lack of enthusiasm for Kamala, especially with Black Men.” On Saturday, the campaign's Black Men for Trump advisory board released a statement condemning Obama's remarks as “insulting."

“It’s demeaning to suggest that we can’t evaluate a candidate’s track record — especially when Kamala Harris has done more harm than good to Black communities,” wrote the group in a letter that was co-signed by Reps. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., Wesley Hunt, R-Tex., as well as former state lawmakers and longtime Trump allies, including former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, whose prison sentence for corruption crimes was commuted by Trump during his administration's final hours.

Trump earlier this year mused that the criminal charges against him in four separate indictments, one of which led to a conviction with another dismissed, made him more relatable to Black people.

“A lot of people said that’s why the Black people like me, because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against, and they actually viewed me as I’m being discriminated against,” he told a Black conservative audience in South Carolina.

Trump's support among Black, white, and Hispanic male voters worries senior Harris campaign officials as the election increasingly shapes up as divided along gender lines, with Harris stronger with women and Trump stronger with men.

But the debate over to what degree misogyny plays a role in some Black men not supporting Harris sidesteps a broader conversation on how Black men are engaged as full citizens in politics, argues Philip Agnew, founder of the grassroots political organization Black Men Build.

“To be a Black man in the United States is to be invisible and hypervisible at the same time, and neither one of those is a humanizing viewpoint,” Agnew said.

Agnew's group traveled to 10 cities across the summer, hosting roundtables with Black men and making the case for civic engagement and a progressive politics. Agnew said many Black men throughout those conversations expressed exasperation toward politics, a sentiment shared by many Americans, in addition to a feeling that their political perspectives were often misunderstood or unappreciated.

“The Black men I know are incredibly concerned with the lives of our families and our communities,” Agnew said. “It's because of an abundance of love for our sisters that we ask questions, not a lack of love.”

Former President Barack Obama greets attendees after speaking at a campaign rally supporting Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, at the University of Pittsburgh's Fitzgerald Field House in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)

Attendees hold signs as former President Barack Obama speaks during a campaign rally supporting Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, at the University of Pittsburgh's Fitzgerald Field House in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)

Former President Barack Obama speaks during a campaign rally supporting Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, at the University of Pittsburgh's Fitzgerald Field House in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)