Lane Thomas sent the Guardians to the American League Championship Series with one swing. 

The outfielder launched a massive grand slam off Tigers ace Tarik Skubal during the bottom of the fifth inning to propel the Guardians to a 7-3 ALDS-clinching Game 5 win over the Tigers on Saturday in Cleveland.

The Guardians will now face the Yankees in the ALCS with a berth to the World Series on the line.

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.

Thomas, the following batter, launced the grand slam to give the Guardians a 5-1 lead, and they never looked back.

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.”

Skubal, the likely 2024 AL Cy Young winner, came into the fifth inning, having thrown 17 scoreless innings this postseason for the upstart Tigers. 

“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.”

Thomas also hit a three-run home run earlier this series in the Guardians’ 7-0 Game 1 win.

— with AP