Lane Thomas joins a pair of SF Giants legends with postseason heroics

The Cleveland Guardians are heading to the ALCS thanks in part to Lane Thomas' grand slam to put them ahead of the Detroit Tigers in a winner-take-all game on Saturday. He joins a pair of SF Giants legends in Buster Posey and Brandon Crawford as one of the few players to accomplish that feat.

Lane Thomas joins a pair of SF Giants legends with postseason heroics

In fact, Thomas just became only the seventh player in baseball history to record a grand slam in a winner-take-all game. Along with Thomas, Posey, and Crawford, the others include Howie Kendrick (2019), Johnny Damon (2004), Troy O’Leary (1999), and Bill Skowron (1956) according to Sarah Langs of MLB.Com.

Skowron is the only one to do it in the World Series, whereas Thomas is the only player to hit a grand slam in a winner-take-all game at home.

Thomas is looking to continue an important trend among this group. The last three players to do what he did all led their team to the World Series. Kendrick helped the Washington Nationals win a World Series in 2019, whereas Posey and Crawford led the Giants in 2012 and 2014, respectively.

The Guardians have a tough challenge in front of them as they will face off against the New York Yankees in the ALCS. The Yankees are seen as the favorites in the AL to head to the World Series. That said, the Guardians have an excellent bullpen, so if they get the lead early, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt will be leaning on that unit to secure the win.

Giants fans remember Posey and Crawford's grand slams well. Posey's postseason slam came in Game 5 of the NLDS against the Cincinnati Reds against Mat Latos. Of course, that image has become a popular gif not just because of Posey's swing, but Reds catcher Ryan Hanigan's reaction to the play as well.

The Giants dropped the first two games of that series but rallied off three straight wins against the Reds. They went on to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS and the Detroit Tigers in the World Series that year.

On the other hand, Crawford's grand slam came in a Wild Card game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Back in the day, the top two Wild Card teams would face off against each other in a single-game elimination matchup.

The veteran bat stepped to the plate in the top of the fourth inning with Hunter Pence, Brandon Belt, and Pablo Sandoval on the bases. The game was tied at zero until he belted a 1-2 offering from Edinson Vólquez over the right field fence to silence the Pirates crowd. The Giants did go on to win that game with ease by a score of 8-0.

They would face off against the Kansas City Royals in the World Series and took the series in seven games. Lane Thomas is hoping for the same type of luck this time around.