Kerry Carpenter didn’t let a hamstring injury stop him from playing in Detroit’s most important game. He pushed through for his team.
Using adrenaline to get by, Carpenter got a pinch-hit RBI single in the fifth inning, but the Cleveland Guardians came back to win Game 5 of their AL Division Series, 7-3, over the Tigers on Saturday.
“These guys in the clubhouse are pretty much who I fight for,” Carpenter said. “If I could go, I wanted to go for them. That was the driving reason I wanted to be here for this team — if I could contribute.”
While Carpenter succeeded once, he also struck out with the bases loaded in a crucial moment, as the Tigers’ impressive season — which saw them go 35-16 after August 10 — ended with this loss to their rivals.
Detroit’s first playoff appearance since 2013 was still meaningful, and Carpenter was a key player.
The 27-year-old, who missed three months due to a back injury, hit a three-run homer in Game 2 against All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase, helping the Tigers tie the series with the Guardians.
“There’s only one team that doesn’t have this pit in your stomach at the end of the year,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “We were the next one to go through it. … Seasons end fast when you’re in the middle of this sprint race through the playoffs and come up a little bit short.”
After receiving treatment around the clock, Carpenter came off the bench and made an impact again in Game 5.
In the fifth inning, he hit a single into right-center field off rookie Andrew Walters, bringing home Trey Sweeney, who had walked to start the inning.
As he ran to first base, Carpenter was limping, reminiscent of Kirk Gibson’s famous homer in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Tigers were counting on Carpenter to help them in this must-win game. After his single, he celebrated by pumping his fists at his teammates in the dugout.
“I know how uncomfortable it was for him,” Hinch said. “He came up really big in that spot and was able to get three at-bats on a day when I didn’t know if he would do anything when I got to the ballpark.”
“And for that, our training staff did an incredible job. Carp pushed through and was available for how I used him.”
Carpenter got hurt while running the bases in Game 4 on Thursday night.
The quick turnaround — and MLB’s decision to move the starting time up seven hours because of possible bad weather — didn’t give him much time to recover.
“I knew he could do one of two things,” Hinch said. “If I put him in the DH spot, he could stay there and go base to base, even if it was uncomfortable. If I put him somewhere else, then his day was over.
“So the debate in my head going into the game was where the big at-bat would come when you might need to extend your lead, get a lead, come from behind, or whatever.”
The game was scoreless when Carpenter, a left-handed batter, replaced designated hitter Justyn-Henry Malloy, who hits right-handed. Carpenter came up to bat again in the sixth with Detroit trailing 5-2, but he struck out against Hunter Gaddis, leaving the bases loaded.
He also struck out against Clase in the eighth inning with a runner on second.
