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MLB playoffs: Lane Thomas' grand slam powers Guardians over Tigers in Game 5, into ALCS vs. Yankees

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MLB playoffs: Lane Thomas' grand slam powers Guardians over Tigers in Game 5, into ALCS vs. Yankees


Lane Thomas’ aggressive approach at the plate paid off again for the Cleveland Guardians in Game 5 of the ALDS on Saturday.

On the first pitch he saw from Detroit Tigers starter Tarik Skubal in the bottom of the fifth inning, Thomas blasted a grand slam to help the Guardians to a 7-3 victory and a place in the ALCS against the New York Yankees.

“He threw one pitch over the middle, and I put a good swing on it. It’s as simple as that,” Thomas said afterward. “I don’t know how many scoreless innings he threw [in the series]. It just takes one.”

Skubal had been cruising along, quieting the Guardians’ bats through four innings, which gave him a total of 17 scoreless innings pitched in this postseason. But in the bottom of the fifth, the AL pitching Triple Crown winner and likely Cy Young recipient got himself into a jam that he couldn’t escape.

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Singles from Andrés Giménez, Steven Kwan and David Fry brought José Ramírez to the plate with the bases loaded. Instead of the Guardians’ third baseman doing it with his bat like he has done so many times during the season, Ramírez took one for the team — a hit by pitch on the arm — to tie the game 1-1.

With Skubal in a tough spot, it was a prime opportunity for Thomas to be aggressive. Much like he did with a first-pitch, three-run blast in Game 1, his grand slam struck a blow in the Tigers’ hopes with their ace on the mound.

Thomas, who had 9 RBI in the ALDS, loved swinging away when the count was 0-0 during the regular season. The 29-year-old outfielder, who was acquired from the Washington Nationals on July 29, was 18-for-63 (.286) with a home run and 9 RBI on first pitches this season. So far in October, he has three hits — two of them home runs — in such situations.

Lane Thomas watches his grand slam in the fifth inning of Game 5. (AP Photo/David Dermer)

Lane Thomas watches his grand slam in the fifth inning of Game 5. (AP Photo/David Dermer) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

“That’s who we are. That’s who that group has been in that room all year. As soon as we get punched, we answer,” manager Stephen Vogt said postgame. ” … But we can’t rely on the home run. We have to string things together, and our guys did both today. And then we got the add-on runs at the end, and I thought today was just a perfect picture of who our team is at our best — and couldn’t have come on a better day.”

The Tigers had a chance to respond in the top of the sixth inning following Thomas’ blast. They brought in a run on a Jake Rogers single, which made it 5-2, and after a Trey Sweeney walk, the bases were loaded for righty-killer Kerry Carpenter.

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Carpenter had started the game on the bench while battling a nagging hamstring injury. He pinch-hit for Justyn-Henry Malloy in the top of the fifth and promptly knocked a 370-foot single to right-center field, scoring Sweeney and giving the Tigers a 1-0 lead.

But in the sixth, Carpenter could not win the bases-loaded battle against Guardians reliever Hunter Gaddis.

The Tigers scraped across one more run in the seventh, making in 5-3 before the Guardians added insurance runs in the seventh and eighth. Emmanuel Clase recorded the final six outs, including another massive strikeout of Carpenter in the eighth inning, to seal the victory for Cleveland.

“I have a heartbroken team for all the right reasons,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said afterward. “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. …

“I just told the guys … Once you play in one October, you never want to miss one the rest of your career, ever. And so we’re going to need to do a lot of work to get better and continue to play the brand of baseball that is winning baseball.”

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With the Game 5 victory, the Guardians advance to the ALCS for the first time since 2016. Game 1 of Guardians vs. Yankees will be Monday at 7:38 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium.

“You have to believe. If you don’t believe in your group, don’t even show up,” Vogt said. “We knew, as soon as we got back to Cleveland, we had a chance.”



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How Koby Altman Can Earn A+ Grade for the Cavaliers This Offseason

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How Koby Altman Can Earn A+ Grade for the Cavaliers This Offseason


Cleveland Cavaliers’ president of basketball operations Koby Altman has made it clear that there won’t be a rebuild for next season’s team, but changes will be made.

After tasting their first conference finals in eight years, the Cavs will be eager to do one better ahead of the 2026-27 campaign, and Altman has the pieces available to him to achieve just that.

It isn’t a rebuild; it’s a retool.

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To really get the best out of this Cavs side in the offseason and for the team to compete for the NBA crown, Altman will need to focus on these key factors.

Solidify Donovan Mitchell’s future

It’s undoubtedly the Cavs’ top priority this offseason. Securing a long-term contract with its star player, Donovan Mitchell and preventing him from entering free agency is key to Cleveland’s success.

What’s uplifting is that Mitchell and the Cavaliers are in a strong position, and he has shown no signs of wanting to leave the team.

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It is expected that Mitchell, who still has a year left on his contract, will wait to sign a new deal, which could make some Cavs fans sweat, given what happened to LeBron James in his early years, but Mitchell is aiming for the best possible deal for him, which is a maximum contract.

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If Altman can lock him up quicker, though, then there will be no need for those Cleveland fans to sweat.

Lift the second apron curse

Another huge priority on Altman’s table. The Cavaliers finished last season with one of the loftiest rosters in recent NBA memory, which significantly hampers them.

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Being in the second apron of the luxury tax, the Cavs are very limited in their ability to aggregate salaries for trades and with the team virtually unable to do damage in the draft for the next few seasons, they will need to save some money.

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One key would be to convince James Harden to decline his player option and sign a cheaper deal that suits Cleveland. Trading guard Dennis Schroder for future picks would also benefit Altman.

Keep Evan Mobley on board

A key piece of Cleveland’s future, the 24-year-old Evan Mobley is still a little rough around the edges, but a talent the Cavs need on their roster.

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Keeping him happy will be key as his contract runs through to the 2029-30 season. Improving his offensive ability and having coach Kenny Atkinson get his team to work on his jump shot will make him a strong force within the roster.

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There were large patches of the season where Mobley and Mitchell complemented each other flawlessly, and there are signs that he is ready to take the baton for the Cavs if Mitchell is out injured or if he decides to take his talents elsewhere.

If that does happen, then Mobley will be in line to lead Cleveland.

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Storms trigger tornado warnings, knocks out power to thousands in Northeast Ohio

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Storms trigger tornado warnings, knocks out power to thousands in Northeast Ohio


CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Severe storms in Northeast Ohio Wednesday night into Thursday morning triggered several tornado warnings and knocked out power to thousands.

Check FirstEnergy’s, AEP’s, and CPP’s websites for the latest outage numbers.

Tornado warnings were issued for Ashland, Richland, and Huron Counties.

There was no reported damage related to the warnings as of 1:10 am.

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These storms will remain in the area until 2 am, mainly producing very gusty winds.

However, due to very strong winds, tornado warnings can’t be ruled out- especially over southern locations within the 19 viewing area.

Submit photos and video below.

Check back with the 19 News First Alert Weather team for the latest weather forecast.

Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.

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Brown Leads Letter to FBI Demanding Answers on Raid Targeting Voter Registration in NE Ohio

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Brown Leads Letter to FBI Demanding Answers on Raid Targeting Voter Registration in NE Ohio


Cleveland, OH – Congresswoman Shontel Brown (OH-11) has led a letter to the FBI demanding answers regarding the Bureau’s raid targeting the Ohio Organizing Collective, an organization supporting voting rights and voter registration efforts in Ohio. Brown has strongly criticized the FBI raids as an effort to deny and suppress the vote in Northeast Ohio. 

Congresswoman Brown announced the letter at a press conference in Cleveland this afternoon. Brown is urging Ohioans to continue to exercise their right to vote and to not be intimidated. 

Brown’s letter to FBI Director Kash Patel and the Special Agent in Charge of the Cleveland Office was signed by Rep. Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), Rep. Joyce Beatty (OH-03), Rep. Greg Landsman (OH-01), and Rep. Emilia Sykes (OH-13).

The letter references other efforts by the Trump Administration to weaponize federal law enforcement and perpetuate false narratives around the 2020 election. Brown and the signees seek the legal justification used by the FBI to conduct this raid, full information on what warrants were obtained, and details about the scope of this massive operation, including how many agents were pulled off other assignments to be part of this raid. 

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“The people I represent deserve answers, because their right to vote is sacred and what happened in Cleveland last week is deeply alarming. When federal agents undertake a statewide operation against an organization whose mission is helping eligible Americans register to vote, the public has every right to ask questions. Any action that risks intimidating lawful voter registration efforts or discouraging participation in our democracy should concern every American, regardless of party. My message to Ohioans is simple: it is safe to participate, register, vote and help your neighbors do the same. We will remain vigilant in defending the sacred right to vote and protecting the democratic freedoms that generations fought to secure,” said Congresswoman Shontel Brown.

 

The text of the letter is as follows: 

 

Dear Director Patel and Special Agent in Charge DelManzo,

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We write to express deep concern regarding the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s recent raid of the Cleveland office of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative (OCC) and the reported questioning of OCC staff, volunteers, and community partners throughout Ohio. According to reports FBI agents not only raided the OCC’s Cleveland office but also followed individuals connected to the organization in their cars, followed their children to school, and went to their homes demanding to enter them under the guise of investigating voter fraud.

For almost two decades, the Ohio Organizing Collaborative has encouraged civic engagement participated voter registration, community organizing and advocacy. While no organization is above the law, the expansive scope of the federal activity focused on such a prominent voting rights organization, coupled with the absence of any public explanation regarding the basis of these actions raises serious questions about whether federal law enforcement is being deployed in a manner that could have a chilling effect on lawful civic engagement.

We are concerned that in an election year, DOJ and FBI seem to have abandoned their own Election Year Sensitivities policy which forbids selecting the timing of public statements, overt steps, or charges to affect any election. Any deviation from these standards—especially overt investigative activity targeting a voter-registration organization—risks weaponizing the federal government against lawful civic activity.

These concerns are heightened by this Administration’s efforts to push unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud, specifically in the 2020 Presidential election. Over the past year the FBI has raided the elections office in Fulton County, Georgia collecting 2020 ballots,3 the Department of Justice (DOJ) has demanded full, unredacted voter rolls from at least 44 states and the District of Columbia,4 and despite no findings of widespread voter fraud this Administration continues to take unprecedented actions to, restrict access to the ballot, weaken voting-rights protections, and to cast doubt on our election administration. Against this backdrop, further aggressive federal investigative actions like the raid in Cleveland and the indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center creates serious concerns that federal law enforcement is being used to intimidate civic organizations and deter lawful participation in our democratic process.

The First Amendment protects the rights of individuals and organizations to engage in political advocacy, and association. Any investigation of these protected activities must be conducted with the utmost care and in accordance with all relevant law and Department of Justice policies designed to prevent political bias or retaliation.

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To better understand the basis and scope of the FBI’s recent actions against the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, we request answers to the following questions:

  1. What specific authority or legal basis was used to authorize the search of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative’s Cleveland office? Please produce the warrant and affidavit.
  2. What specific authority or legal basis was used to authorize to the questioning, following, and appearance at the private residences of individuals associated with Ohio Organizing Collaborative?
  3. Please provide all information that led to the initiation of this investigation including any referrals, approvals, or authorizations received by the Department of Justice or any other relevant office.
  4. Did any state or local law enforcement request, recommend, or participate in the raid of Ohio Organizing Collaborative’s Cleveland office and the following and questioning of staff and volunteers? If so, please provide all documentation and communication on the collaboration across agencies and governments.
  5. Did any federal entities (including but not limited to DHS and ODNI) participate or share information leading to the raid of Ohio Organizing Collaborative’s Cleveland office and the following and questioning of staff and volunteers? If so, please provide all documentation and communication on the collaboration across agencies and governments.
  6. What are the policies and protocols that govern investigations that involve organizations that legally participate in voter registration?
  7. How many FBI personnel participated in the search and related investigative activities?
  8. Were any agents reassigned from other investigations or offices to participate in this operation? If so, from which offices and for what duration?
  9. Did the FBI/DOJ consult the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section, and were the Election-Year Sensitivities policies followed regarding timing of overt steps? Please produce consultation records and approvals.

 We request a response no later than June 22, 2026

 

Sincerely,

[[SIGNATURES]]

 

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