Guardians unveil World Series-winning blueprint in ALDS Game 1 win over Tigers

The Cleveland Guardians put a damper on the Detroit Tigers hype train with a dominant 7-0 victory on Saturday afternoon. It's only Game 1, so the ALDS is far from over, but the Gritty Tigs went from the hottest team in baseball to their back foot in record time. Cleveland put up five runs in the first inning and never released that chokehold.

The No. 2 seed in the American League, Cleveland has found a way to fly under the radar all season. Such is life when your primary counterparts in the AL postseason race are the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros. The Guardians are a small-market powerhouse, with a roster that could very well lead them to the World Series.

Again, it's early, but Game 1 of the ALDS was a prime example of what makes the Guardians so dangerous. And it goes way beyond that initial offensive explosion. Cleveland's pitching was dominant all night, led by what is unequivocally the best bullpen in baseball.

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Dominant Guardians bullpen is proof positive that Cleveland can win World Series

The best recipe for success in the postseason is a stout rotation and a deep bullpen. Tanner Bibee went 4.2 innings deep, allowing four hits and a walk with six strikeouts. That was all Cleveland needed to turn over a scoreless game to a dominant 'pen — a killer four-man gauntlet of Cade Smith, Tim Herrin, Hunter Gaddis, and Emmanuel Clase.

Cleveland's bullpen went 4.1 innings without a single hit and only one base-runner allowed. That four-man collective K'd seven, leaving the Tigers' lineup in complete disarray. Detroit's ability to mix and match pieces under A.J. Hinch has been the driving force behind this second-half run, but the Guardians can just as easily switch between looks and pitch types in later innings. Once Cleveland built up a significant lead, there was just no way Detroit was coming back.

It's clear what must happen for the Tigers moving forward. If Detroit can jump on the starters early and get the lead, they have a chance. If the Guardians hand a lead (or even a tie game) over to the bullpen, however, the odds dramatically swing in Cleveland's favor.

Cleveland put together the third-best team ERA in baseball this season (3.61). The rotation is strong, but the bullpen is positively unhittable. Their 2.57 bullpen ERA was the fourth-best in league history since 1995. The leader, of course, is Emmanuel Clase — the nastiest closer in baseball and perhaps the best pitcher in the MLB, pound-for-pound, boasting a 0.61 ERA and 0.66 WHIP.

The Guardians' offense should be able to back up its pitching staff, too. Cleveland may not have the star-power of Los Angeles or New York, but Jose Ramirez is going to crack MVP ballots; Steven Kwan and David Fry are All-Stars. The Guardians are not elite (bottom-10 in team batting average this season), but all it takes is a well-timed hot streak in October. That's what Saturday felt like.

If the Guardians offense can just keep a modest pace, that bullpen will put them over the top in a lot of matchups. Do not discount this Guardians team, point blank.